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. 2011 Dec;34(4):448-63.
doi: 10.1177/0163278710391086. Epub 2010 Dec 29.

Surveying ourselves: examining the use of a web-based approach for a physician survey

Kristen A Matteson  1 , Britta L Anderson, Stephanie B Pinto, Vrishali Lopes, Jay Schulkin, Melissa A Clark
Affiliations

Surveying ourselves: examining the use of a web-based approach for a physician survey

Kristen A Matteson et al. Eval Health Prof. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

A survey was distributed, using a sequential mixed-mode approach, to a national sample of obstetrician-gynecologists. Differences between responses to the web-based mode and the on-paper mode were compared to determine if there were systematic differences between respondents. Only two differences in respondents between the two modes were identified. University-based physicians were more likely to complete the web-based mode than private practice physicians. Mail respondents reported a greater volume of endometrial ablations compared to online respondents. The web-based mode had better data quality than the paper-based mailed mode in terms of less missing and inappropriate responses. Together, these findings suggest that, although a few differences were identified, the web-based survey mode attained adequate representativeness and improved data quality. Given the metrics examined for this study, exclusive use of web-based data collection may be appropriate for physician surveys with a minimal reduction in sample coverage and without a reduction in data quality.

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Figure 1
Participant flow diagram
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