Related Experiment Videos
Patient surveys in general practice: a randomised trial of an instant lottery ticket to increase return rate
1CSAHS Needs Assessment & Health Outcomes Unit, Camperdown, New South Wales.
Background:
Patient surveys are becoming increasingly common and already are an obligatory activity to qualify for a Better Practice Program Grant. Strategies to increase return rates remain unevaluated in Australian general practice.
Aim:
To evaluate the effectiveness of an instant lottery ticket as a response-aiding technique in patient surveys.
Method:
A random sample of adult patients was selected from an age-sex-disease register, stratified by sex and randomised to receive an instant lottery ticket with the self-administered questionnaire mailed out in December 1994.
Results:
There was no significant difference by group either for women (P = 0.68), men (P = 0.88) or both sexes combined (P = 0.68). However, irrespective of inclusion of the lottery ticket, men were significantly less likely to return questionnaires than women (P = 0.02).
Conclusions:
Instant lottery tickets do not increase return rates to questionnaires and are not recommended. Other strategies need to be tested, particularly to involve male patients in general practice research.