Effects of Sequential Prepaid Incentives on Response Rates, Data Quality, Sample Representativeness, and Costs in a Mail Survey of Physicians

While collecting high quality data from physicians is critical, response rates for physician surveys are frequently low. A proven method for increasing response in mail surveys is to provide a small, prepaid monetary incentive in the initial mailing. More recently, researchers have begun experimenting with adding a second cash incentive in a follow-up contact in order to increase participation among more reluctant respondents. To assess the effects of sequential incentives on response rates, data quality, sample representativeness, and costs, physicians (N = 1,500) were randomly assigned to treatments that crossed the amount of a first ($5 or $10) and second ($0, $5, or $10) incentive to form the following groups: Group $5/$5; Group $5/$10; Group $10/$0; Group $10/$5; and Group $10/$10. Overall, second incentives were associated with higher response rates and lower costs per completed survey, and while they had no effect on item nonresponse, they increased sample representativeness.

Patient reported outcomes in older breast cancer survivors.

12072 Background: The majority of breast cancer patients are age 66 years or older at diagnosis, yet little is known about the symptom burden of older breast cancer survivors. Methods: Using the same process as for SEER-Medicare, data from the Texas Cancer Registry (TCR) and Medicare claims were linked. From this TCR-Medicare dataset, patients age 65 years and older at diagnosis, with localized or regional breast cancer, diagnosed in 2012 and 2013, and still alive in 2018 were identified. To assess long-term outcomes, a mailed survey, which included selected questions from the NCI’s PRO-CTCAE question bank, was sent to 4591 eligible patients along with a $10 gift card. Non-responders were sent a follow-up questionnaire at 4-6 weeks and 8-10 weeks after initial mailing. The percentage reporting symptoms, overall and by treatment received, are described. Results: 1594 survivors completed the questionnaire (35% response rate). Median time from diagnosis to survey completion was 67 months. 70% of responders were age 65-74, 26% age 75-84, and 3% age 85+ at diagnosis. 84% were non-Hispanic white, 6% black, and 9% Hispanic. 77% had localized stage disease and 23% had regional disease at diagnosis. 58% had lumpectomy, 36% had mastectomy, and 2% reported no surgery. 77% had ER+ breast cancer. 28% received adjuvant chemotherapy. 48% had Part D claims for adjuvant endocrine therapy. PROs are reported in Table, overall and by use of chemotherapy and endocrine therapy. Conclusions: Older breast cancer survivors, particularly those who were treated with chemotherapy, experience a high symptom burden. [Table: see text]

Police department perceptions of the mobility and safety of online vs offline prostitutes

Purpose To date, there is a gap in the literature exploring the perceptions and experiences of law enforcement regarding enforcement of online and offline prostitution. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of law enforcement in the USA regarding the safety and mobility of individuals who prostitute online compared to those who sell sexual services offline. The next section will explain the methodology of the exploratory study, including the method of original data collection. Design/methodology/approach All police departments in the USA located in a jurisdiction of 50,000 people or more were requested participation in the study (n=689). Respondents were sent an initial mailing of a cover letter and survey, followed by an e-mail reminder and a second mailing of a cover letter and survey. Individual respondents were asked questions about their own perceptions of behaviors and lifestyles of offline vs online prostitutes. Findings The majority of law enforcement respondents did not feel as if online prostitutes were safer compared to offline prostitutes. However, the majority of respondents did believe that online prostitutes are afforded a better lifestyle and are more mobile. Research limitations/implications The majority of the respondents were from the Northeast and Southwest may mean that their perceptions could be different from those that are not located within either region. In addition, since almost 80 percent of the agencies were in a jurisdiction with a population between 50,000 and 249,000, this too may have influenced their perceptions. Law enforcement in a smaller or larger area may have felt differently or have had different experiences to report. Originality/value This study is very unique as to date, another study with the same methodology and question content was not found.

A Profile of Retirement Age Pharmacists in Illinois

Introduction: This manuscript describes the unexpected results from a routine state survey of pharmacist workforce patterns. It describes the background characteristics, practice activities, working conditions, compensation, and fringe benefits among registered Illinois pharmacists of typical retirement age (≥ 65 years old) still active in practice. Methods: A 4-page self-administered questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 500 registered pharmacists residing in Illinois in early 2013. A reminder postcard was mailed to the whole sample at two weeks from the initial correspondence. Data collection concluded three months after the initial mailing. Results: Response rate was 44.8%. Half of all respondents reported to be active in practice (n =119, 54.1%); most of these pharmacists reported working part-time (n= 92, 41.8%). Further inspection revealed that all respondents were age 65 or older. The average respondent could be characterized as a married, Caucasian male of typical retirement age. Respondents wanted significantly less time spent in medication dispensing (63.4%) and more time providing patient care services (27.5%). As expected, most work-related characteristics were significantly different between part-time and full-time respondents with one exception: there were no major differences in hourly wages observed. Conclusion: Based on data from this survey, there is a substantial number of retirement age pharmacists in Illinois who continue to practice past the age of 65. A better understanding of pharmacist retirement trends is of importance to the profession as it has potential implications for pharmacy employers, educational institutions, and other stakeholders. Type: Original Research

Exploring the Impact of E-mail and Postcard Prenotification on Response Rates to a Mail Survey in an Academic Setting

What techniques effectively and consistently impact response rates to a mail survey? No clear answer to this question exists, largely because variability in response rates occurs depending on the population of interest, questionnaire type, and procedures used by researchers. This article examines the impact of e-mail and postcard prenotification on response rates to a mail survey by using a population of university full-time faculty and staff. Comparisons were made among respondents who received a postcard prenotification, those who received an e-mail prenotification, and those who received no prenotification prior to the initial mailing of a questionnaire. Data show that e-mail prenotification had the largest impact on response rate, while postcard prenotification had the least impact. In addition, the use of e-mail prenotification reduced overall project costs (both time and money). We suggest that the uses and applicability of e-mail prenotification be further explored to examine both its initial and overall impact on response rate in populations utilizing an electronic environment.

Antifungal Susceptibility Testing in Teaching Hospitals

BACKGROUND: An assessment of antifungal susceptibility testing (AST) has not been conducted since the introduction of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) M27-A document. OBJECTIVE: To determine AST practices in teaching hospitals. METHODS: A questionnaire was mailed to the heads of 386 randomly assigned microbiology departments from teaching hospitals identified through the 2000 American Hospital Association Guide. Identifiers were used to delineate responders from nonresponders. A reminder letter was mailed 3 weeks after the initial mailing to all nonresponders. The hospital bed-size and number of inpatient days for respondents were obtained through the American Hospital Directory. RESULTS: The questionnaire was returned by 171 (44.3%) institutions. The total and median (range) number of candida isolates were 137 088 and 8.5 (1–145)/1000 inpatient days for the year 2000, respectively. Approximately 1% (1300) of candida isolates, from predominantly blood specimens, underwent AST. AST was reported by 115 (67.2%) hospitals, with testing on site at 27 hospitals and off site for 88 hospitals. NCCLS methodology (80% broth microdilution) was used by 75% of the hospitals performing on-site AST. The median time to obtain AST results was significantly lower when testing was performed on site (3 d) compared with off site (7–10 d). SUMMARY: A large number of candida bloodstream isolates undergoes AST annually. AST results are obtained sooner when performed on site compared with off site.

Irrigation Management Practices in Ohio

Expanding urbanization in Ohio has made the availability of quality water an emerging issue of great importance to the state's nursery industry. This development necessitates an examination of nurseries' use and management of water. This study surveyed 600 Ohio nursery growers with a mail questionnaire to determine the frequency of irrigation and water-saving techniques across the state. The 21-question questionnaire covered topics including water sources, irrigation practices, water testing and information needs. The mailing list used was the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture's licensed nursery operators list. Nonrespondents received a postcard reminder and a second copy of the survey within 3 months of the initial mailing, yielding a 45% response rate. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. Responses indicate approximately 57% of Ohio nurseries used irrigation in the 1997 growing season. For field production, 64%of nurseries used overhead irrigation for at least half of their irrigated production; for container production, 91%. Nearly 41% of respondents using irrigation reported capturing runoff for reuse this past year. The most common irrigation sources for Ohio nurseries were wells (79%) and ponds (62%). Additional goals for the project include raising awareness of water management and water quality issues, identify common water quality problems, and to obtain direction for future research and extension efforts.

State Pharmacy Regulators' Opinions on Regulating Pharmaceutical Care Outcomes

OBJECTIVE: To examine the opinions of state pharmacy regulators regarding responsibility for the outcomes of drug therapy, and approaches that might be taken to regulate for pharmaceutical care outcomes. DESIGN: Surveys were sent to the executive secretaries of state pharmacy boards. The executive secretaries were encouraged to seek input from other board staff and board members in formulating a response. Reminder postcards were sent to all subjects 1 week after the initial mailing. MEASURES: The survey instrument was divided into three sections. The first section identified 10 approaches that state boards could use to regulate for outcomes and asked subjects to indicate the utility of each. The second and third sections asked the subjects to determine the extent to which pharmacies and pharmacists, respectively, should be responsible for outcomes potentially related to pharmaceutical care. RESULTS: Forty-one usable surveys were returned. All approaches to regulation were viewed as potentially useful, and scores for three approaches indicated that they would be consistently helpful for effective regulation of pharmaceutical care outcomes. The pharmacy was viewed as solely responsible for poor outcomes related to systems deficiencies, a lack of self-assessment, inadequate references, equipment, and technician support. Pharmacists were assigned greatest responsibility for outcomes related to prescription filling, and less responsibility for outcomes related to patient care. However, there was considerable variation in responses to many of the items, reflecting the diverse opinions of pharmacy regulators on these issues. CONCLUSIONS: While pharmacy regulators appear open to some outcomes-oriented approaches to regulation, there is no clear consensus on responsibility for pharmaceutical care outcomes.

Effect on Mail Survey Return Rates of Including Questionnaires with Follow-up Letters

To study response rate a total of 2,002 questionnaires were mailed to respondents who were allocated to one of seven treatments. One treatment was a control group who received only an initial mailing (questionnaire and cover letter). The remaining six treatments were defined by two crossed factors, the number of follow-up waves of mailings (one, two, or three) and whether the follow-up mailings included only a reminder letter or a letter and another copy of a questionnaire. The results suggest more than one follow-up with a questionnaire is needed. A letter only was an ineffective method.