Ann M. Harris

Getting physicians to respond: the impact of incentive type and timing on physician survey response rates.

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of payment timing, form of payment, and requiring a social security number (SSN) on survey response rates. DATA SOURCE Third-wave mailing of a U.S. physician survey. STUDY DESIGN Nonrespondents were randomized to receive immediate U.S.

Supraesophageal Reflux: Validation of a Symptom Questionnaire

25 cash, immediate U.S.

Surgery versus conservative therapy in carpal tunnel syndrome in people aged 70 years and older.

25 check, promised U.S.

Incentive and Reminder Strategies to Improve Response Rate for Internet-Based Physician Surveys: A Randomized Experiment

25 check, or promised U.S.

Weekly Changes in Basal Metabolic Rate with Eight Weeks of Overfeeding

25 check requiring an SSN. DATA COLLECTION METHODS Paper survey responses were double entered into statistical software. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Response rates differed significantly between remuneration groups (χ(3) (2) = 80.1, p<.0001), with the highest rate in the immediate cash group (34 percent), then immediate check (20 percent), promised check (10 percent), and promised check with SSN (8 percent). CONCLUSIONS Immediate monetary incentives yield higher response rates than promised in this population of nonresponding physicians. Promised incentives yield similarly low response rates regardless of whether an SSN is requested.

Is Usage of a Wellness Center Associated With Improved Quality of Life

OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate a questionnaire for supraesophageal manifestations of reflux (SER) that will facilitate its study in clinical and research settings. STUDY DESIGN: The Supraesophageal Reflux Questionnaire (SERQ) and previously validated Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) were subjected to multiple types of validity testing, including content validity, concurrent validity, reproducibility, and predictive validity. RESULTS: The concurrent validity and reproducibility of both instruments was good to excellent for most items tested. The predictive validity of the SERQ was superior to the RSI when it included the covariates of history of sinusitis, use of over-the-counter antacid medications, age, gender, and body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: The SERQ will serve as both a useful clinical and research tool by offering not only SER symptom information, like the RSI, but also information about the patients medical history and medication usage that will facilitate use of the SERQ in research protocols. EBM rating: B-2b

Treatment trade-offs in myeloma: A survey of consecutive patients about contemporary maintenance strategies.

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome is common in the general population, with a prevalence that increases with age. Although good satisfaction has been described after carpal tunnel release, little is known about the long-term outcome of treatment in elderly individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome. Methods: The authors reviewed data from a population-based sample of 102 patients aged 70 years and older with carpal tunnel syndrome. They used valid and sensitive mailed follow-up outcome [Boston Carpal Tunnel, satisfaction (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons), and health status (Short Form-36) questionnaires to assess symptoms, functional status, expectations of treatment, and satisfaction with the results at a minimum of 2 years after initial diagnosis. Results: Seventy patients with a mean age of 77.0 years (range, 70.2 to 88.5 years) responded to the survey, with a mean follow-up of 4.8 years. Patients who had surgery were more likely to have had more severe disease than those treated nonoperatively (Mantel-Haentzel test, p < 0.001). Satisfaction was 93 percent after surgical treatment and 54 percent after nonsurgical treatment. Patients who had surgery had significantly better relief of symptoms (t test, p < 0.01), functional status (t test, p < 0.05), satisfaction (t test, p < 0.001), and expectations with treatment (t test, p < 0.05) scores as compared with those who had nonsurgical treatment. Conclusions: In patients over the age of 70, surgery appears to be associated with better symptom relief, functional status, satisfaction, and expectations with treatment than nonoperative therapy does. Age should not be considered a contraindication for carpal tunnel surgery, nor should nonoperative therapy be favored in this age group.

Telephone follow-up to a mail survey: when to offer an interview compared to a reminder call

Background Most research on how to enhance response rates in physician surveys has been done using paper surveys. Uncertainties remain regarding how to enhance response rates in Internet-based surveys. Objective To evaluate the impact of a low-cost nonmonetary incentive and paper mail reminders (formal letter and postcard) on response rates in Internet-based physician surveys. Methods We executed a factorial-design randomized experiment while conducting a nationally representative Internet-based physician survey. We invited 3966 physicians (randomly selected from a commercial database of all licensed US physicians) via email to complete an Internet-based survey. We used 2 randomly assigned email messages: one message offered a book upon survey completion, whereas the other did not mention the book but was otherwise identical. All nonrespondents received several email reminders. Some physicians were further assigned at random to receive 1 reminder via paper mail (either a postcard or a letter) or no paper reminder. The primary outcome of this study was the survey response rate. Results Of the 3966 physicians who were invited, 451 (11.4%) responded to at least one survey question and 336 (8.5%) completed the entire survey. Of those who were offered a book, 345/2973 (11.6%) responded compared with 106/993 (10.7%) who were not offered a book (odds ratio 1.10, 95% CI 0.87-1.38, P=.42). Regarding the paper mail reminder, 168/1572 (10.7%) letter recipients, 148/1561 (9.5%) postcard recipients, and 69/767 (9.0%) email-only recipients responded (P=.35). The response rate for those receiving letters or postcards was similar (odds ratio 1.14, 95% CI 0.91-1.44, P=.26). Conclusions Offering a modest nonmonetary incentive and sending a paper reminder did not improve survey response rate. Further research on how to enhance response rates in Internet-based physician surveys is needed.

Improvements in Health Behaviors, Eating Self-Efficacy, and Goal-Setting Skills Following Participation in Wellness Coaching.

Objective: The contribution of basal metabolic rate (BMR) to weight gain susceptibility has long been debated. We wanted to examine whether BMR changes in a linear fashion with overfeeding. Our hypothesis was that BMR does not increase linearly with 1000‐kcal/d overfeeding in lean healthy subjects over 8 weeks. The null hypothesis states that BMR increases linearly with 1000‐kcal/d overfeeding in lean healthy subjects.

Patient perceptions of stool DNA testing for pan-digestive cancer screening: A survey questionnaire

Purpose. There is limited documentation regarding the potential quality of life (QOL) benefits associated with use of a worksite wellness center. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between potential QOL change and use of a worksite wellness center during a 12-month period. Design. Analysis of an annual QOL wellness center member survey and wellness center use during a 12-month time period. Setting. A worksite wellness center. Participants. A total of 1151 employee wellness center members, average age of 39.5 years, 69.7% female, and 43.5% reported being overweight. Intervention. Members of the worksite wellness center have access to a range of fitness options, including exercise classes, water aerobics, an indoor track, strength training, and aerobic conditioning equipment. Additionally, nutritional classes are offered, and there is a wellness café. For resiliency, members can participate in wellness coaching or a stress-reduction group program. Method. Participants completed a baseline QOL survey and a second QOL survey 1 year later. An electronic entry system tracked use of the wellness center. Results. Participants were divided into four wellness center use quartiles: low users (less than once every 2 weeks), below-average users, above-average users, and high users (two to three visits per week). High users reported experiencing improvements in their physical QOL (p < .0001) compared with the low users. Additionally, low users experienced a greater decline in their mental QOL (p = .05) compared with high users. Conclusion. In a large sample of employees, use of a wellness center during a 12-month period was associated with benefits for physical QOL. QOL is an important domain of wellness; therefore, in addition to measuring physiologic changes, examining potential QOL changes may be another important outcome measure for wellness centers.