Comparison of e-mail, fax, and postal surveys of pediatricians
Comparison of e-mail, fax, and postal surveys of pediatricians
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DOI：
10.1542/peds.111.4.e299
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发表时间：
2003-04-01
期刊：
影响因子：
8
通讯作者：
Pickering, LK
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
McMahon, SR;Iwamoto, M;Pickering, LK
目标。比较轮状病毒疫苗医师调查中的 3 种通信方式（邮政、传真和电子邮件）。方法。我们使用 3 种沟通模式向美国儿科学会佐治亚州分会会员名录中列出的医生分发调查问卷。该名录列出了 1391 名成员；然而，有 404 人因被列为专家、退休人员、培训住院医师或政府公共卫生雇员而被视为不符合资格。在预计接种疫苗的 987 名成员中，随机抽取 150 名接受邮政调查（邮政组）。在其余列表中，837 个列表中的 488 个（58%）列出了传真号码；随机抽取150名成员并传真一份调查问卷（传真组）。在其余成员中，687 名成员中有 266 名 (39%) 列出了电子邮件地址；随机抽取 150 名成员进行电子邮件调查（电子邮件组）。两周后以相同方式发送跟踪调查。最终调查在 1 个月时通过另一种模式（混合模式）发送：通过传真发送给电子邮件和邮寄未答复者，并通过邮寄发送给传真未答复者和没有传真的人。 结果。 3 个调查组中符合条件的受访者的执业环境和地点相似。尽管电子邮件组自医学院毕业以来的中位年数（8 年）少于传真组（19 年）和邮政组（17 年），但所有组中的受访者在工作中拥有计算机（> 85%）和互联网接入（> 70%）的比例相似。然而，只有 39% 的成员在目录中列出了电子邮件地址。在第一次邮寄后的两周内，通过邮寄完成了 39 项调查，通过传真完成了 50 项调查，通过电子邮件完成了 16 项调查。在第二次联系（两周后发送）后的两周内，通过邮寄完成了 20 份调查，通过传真完成了 15 份调查，通过电子邮件完成了 17 份调查。邮寄调查前 2 次邮寄后的回复率为 41%（143 份中的 59 份），传真为 47%（137 份中的 65 份），电子邮件调查为 26%（125 份中的 33 份）。第三次也是最后一次调查（在第一次邮寄后 1 个月发送）通过不同（即混合）模式发送，并获得了额外的 73 份回复：来自邮政组的 19 份回复（15 份邮寄、4 份传真）、来自传真组的 19 份回复（18 份邮寄、1 份传真）和来自电子邮件组的 35 份回复（15 份邮寄、13 份传真、7 份电子邮件）。 23%（40 份中的 9 份）的电子邮件和 18%（83 份中的 15 份）传真调查在发送当天或第二天被退回，而邮寄调查则没有。目录中列出的无效地址/号码（4% 邮政地址、8% 传真和 16% 电子邮件）在三组之间存在显着差异。使用混合模式作为第三次接触，总体响应率从混合模式之前的 39% 提高到最终的 53%。在 3 个初始组的基础上，对 12 个轮状病毒问题中的 1 个的回答存在显着差异。结论。未来在某些情况下使用电子邮件调查是有希望的，因为大多数提供商都可以访问互联网并承认有兴趣参与电子邮件调查。如果需要快速响应时间，电子邮件调查可能特别有用。与邮寄或传真调查的参与者相比，完成电子邮件调查的参与者提出的不完整问题较少。更新会员电子邮件地址并定期使用电子邮件作为沟通工具应该可以提高使用电子邮件调查的能力。在电子邮件调查成为标准调查工具之前，可能需要进行持续的评估，与其他调查模式相比，严格评估提供商对电子邮件调查的反应。与此同时，混合模式调查可能是一种选择。
Objectives. To compare 3 communication modes ( postal, fax, and e-mail) in a rotavirus vaccine physician survey.Methods. We used 3 communication modes to distribute a survey to physicians listed in the membership directory of the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The directory listed 1391 members; however, 404 were deemed ineligible on the basis of their listing as a specialist, retiree, resident in training, or government public health employee. Of the 987 members expected to administer vaccines, 150 were selected randomly to receive the postal survey ( postal group). Of the remaining listings, 488 (58%) of 837 listed a fax number; 150 members were selected randomly and faxed a survey ( fax group). Of the remaining members, 266 (39%) of 687 had e-mail addresses listed; 150 members were selected randomly for the e-mail survey (e-mail group). A follow-up survey was sent by the same mode at 2 weeks. A final survey was sent via another mode ( mixed mode) at 1 month: by fax to e-mail and postal nonresponders and by post to fax nonresponders and those without fax.Results. Eligible respondents in the 3 survey groups were similar in their practice setting and location. Although the e-mail group had fewer median years ( 8 years) since medical school graduation than the fax group ( 19 years) and postal group ( 17 years), a similar percentage of responders in all groups had computers (> 85%) and Internet access (> 70%) at work. However, only 39% of members listed an e-mail address in the directory. In the 2 weeks after the first mailing, 39 surveys were completed via postal mail, 50 via fax, and 16 via e-mail. In the 2 weeks after the second contact ( sent at 2 weeks), 20 surveys were completed via postal mail, 15 via fax, and 17 via e-mail. The response rate after the first 2 mailings was 41% (59 of 143) for postal, 47% (65 of 137) for fax, and 26% ( 33 of 125) for e-mail surveys. The third and final survey ( sent 1 month after the first mailing) was sent by a different (ie, mixed) mode and elicited an additional 73 responses: 19 responses ( 15 postal, 4 fax) from the postal group, 19 responses (18 postal, 1 fax) from the fax group, and 35 responses (15 postal, 13 fax, 7 e-mail) from the e-mail group. Twenty-three percent (9 of 40) of the e-mail and 18% (15 of 83) of the fax surveys completed were returned on the same or subsequent day they were sent, compared with none of the postal surveys. There were significant differences among the 3 groups for invalid addresses/numbers (4% postal, 8% fax, and 16% e-mail) listed in the directory. Using mixed modes as the third contact, the overall response rate increased from 39% before mixed mode to a final of 53%. On the basis of the 3 initial groups, responses to 1 of 12 rotavirus questions differed significantly.Conclusions. Future use of e-mail surveys in selected circumstances is promising, because the majority of providers have Internet access and acknowledged interest in participating in e-mail surveys. E-mail surveys could be especially useful if rapid response time is necessary. There were fewer incomplete questions by participants who completed the e-mail survey compared with postal or fax participants. Updating membership e-mail addresses and routinely using e-mail as a communication tool should improve the ability to use e-mail surveys. There may need to be ongoing evaluations that critically evaluate providers' responses to e-mail surveys compared with other survey modes before e-mail surveys can become a standard survey tool. In the meantime, mixed-mode surveys may be an option.