MULTIPLE APPROACHES TO INCREASING PEDIATRICIAN SURVEY RESPONSE RATES Gretchen Caspary, Karen O'Connor, Sanford Sharp.. Research, American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, IL.  Presented at the 2007 Pediatric Academic Societies' Annual Meeting.

Background: Physician survey response rates have declined in recent years. The AAP has conducted several studies to determine the most effective methods for increasing response.

Objective: Examine methods to increase response rates in surveys of pediatricians.

Design/Methods: A randomized, experimental design was incorporated into existing AAP member mailed surveys to test the effects of: a) offering a modest financial incentive ($1, $2) on the first mailing (Periodic Survey 1998); b) sending survey materials by certified mail to non-respondents with office addresses in the fourth mailing (Periodic Survey 2000); and c) providing the option of completing the survey either online or by mail (Graduating Resident Survey 2006).

Results: a) The final response rate was 83% for the $2 incentive group, 81% for the $1 incentive, and 74% for the control group (83% v 74%, p<.01; 81% v 74% p<.05). The difference in response is primarily the result of the first mailing (55% ($2) v 35% ($0), p<.001; 47% ($1) v 35% ($0), p<.05).
b) The response to the fourth mailing among the certified mail group sent to office addresses was 12%, more than twice the 5% response among the first class mail group sent to home addresses (p<.001). There was no difference in response between office and home groups in prior and subsequent mailings. The final result was a higher overall response from the office group (70% v 64%, p<.05).
c) The response rate for the mail/online group was significantly higher than the mail-only response rate (66%, 58%, p=.026). There was no difference in the percent of mailed responses between the mail/online and the mail-only groups (59%, 59%, p=.974), suggesting that online respondents would not otherwise have participated.

Conclusions: In the face of universally declining survey response rates, the continued ability to collect valid research information from pediatricians will require creative modifications to traditional survey methods. These studies suggest three methods for effectively increasing response rates, but additional research is needed to test and further refine these methods individually and/or in combination.