Increasing survey responses using the total design method

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Program Planning
• Survey Methodology

Background:

• Surveys are crucial for nurses to gather population data for educational program planning.
• Low response rates present a significant challenge to the effectiveness of survey-based research.
• Effective program planning relies on adequate and representative data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe Dillman's Total Design Method (TDM) for survey research.
• To highlight the application of TDM in planning nursing and health professional education.
• To demonstrate TDM's effectiveness in improving survey response rates.

Main Methods:

• Review of Dillman's Total Design Method (TDM) principles.
• Analysis of 28 studies utilizing TDM.
• Examination of TDM's impact on survey return rates.

Main Results:

• Dillman's TDM is a proven strategy to maximize survey response rates.
• Studies using TDM achieved an average response rate of 77%.
• TDM facilitates more effective planning of continuing education and public health programs.

Conclusions:

• The Total Design Method is an effective approach to overcome low survey response rates in nursing and health education.
• Implementing TDM can lead to more robust data for program development.
• Nurses can utilize TDM to enhance the planning and success of educational programs.