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A prenotification letter increased initial response, whereas sender did not affect response rates
Laura Koopman1, Lea C G Donselaar, Jany J Rademakers
1Patient Centered Care, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, PO Box 1568, 3500 BN Utrecht, The Netherlands. l.koopman@nivel.nl
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
|January 26, 2013
Summary
A prenotification letter speeds up medical survey responses but does not increase overall response rates. Varying the sender, such as a health insurance company, also had no impact on survey participation.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Survey Methodology
Background:
- Improving response rates in medical and health surveys is crucial for data validity.
- Traditional methods like reminder letters have limitations in maximizing participation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a prenotification letter versus a second reminder on survey response rates.
- To determine if varying the sender of survey materials (research institute vs. health insurance company) influences response rates.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted comparing different approaches to survey distribution.
- Study 1: Prenotification letter vs. second reminder, with questionnaires sent by a research institute or a health insurance company (HIC).
- Study 2: Questionnaires sent by a HIC vs. a hospital.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in overall response rates were observed between the groups.
- Groups receiving a prenotification letter showed faster initial response times.
- No significant differences were found in response speed, respondent characteristics, item nonresponse, or quality ratings.
Conclusions:
- Prenotification letters enhance initial response speed but do not increase total survey response rates.
- Consider prenotification when rapid data collection is a priority.
- The sender of the survey materials did not affect response rates.
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