Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2014 Aug;49(4):1387-99.
doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12160. Epub 2014 Jan 29.

The effect of response scale, administration mode, and format on responses to the CAHPS Clinician and Group survey

Keith M Drake  1 , J Lee Hargraves, Stephanie Lloyd, Patricia M Gallagher, Paul D Cleary
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The effect of response scale, administration mode, and format on responses to the CAHPS Clinician and Group survey

Keith M Drake et al. Health Serv Res. 2014 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: To examine how different response scales, methods of survey administration, and survey format affect responses to the CAHPS (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) Clinician and Group (CG-CAHPS) survey.

Study design: A total of 6,500 patients from a university health center were randomly assigned to receive the following: standard 12-page mail surveys using 4-category or 6-category response scales (on CG-CAHPS composite items), telephone surveys using 4-category or 6-category response scales, or four-page mail surveys.

Principal findings: A total of 3,538 patients completed surveys. Composite score means and provider-level reliabilities did not differ between respondents receiving 4-category or 6-category response scale surveys or between 12-page and four-page mail surveys. Telephone respondents gave more positive responses than mail respondents.

Conclusions: We recommend using 4-category response scales and the four-page mail CG-CAHPS survey.

Keywords: CAHPS; patient experience surveys; survey methods.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Response Rate, Crossover, and Final Mode of Completion by Original Mode of Randomization
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. AHRQ, American Institutes for Research, Harvard Medical, School, and RAND Corporation. 2006. “The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Clinician and Group Survey: Submission to National Quality Forum” [accessed on December 17, 2012]. Available at http://www.aqaalliance.org/October24Meeting/PerformanceMeasurement/CAHPS....
    1. Anastario MP, Rodriguez HP, Gallagher PM, Cleary PD, Shaller D, Rogers WH, Bogen K. Safran DG. “A Randomized Trial Comparing Mail versus In-Office Distribution of the CAHPS Clinician and Group Survey”. Health Services Research. 2010;45(5 Pt 1):1345–59. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bowling A. “Mode of Questionnaire Administration Can Have Serious Effects on Data Quality”. Journal of Public Health. 2005;27(3):281–91. - PubMed
    1. Dillman DA, Sangster RL, Tarnai J. Rockwood TH. “Understanding Differences in People's Answers to Telephone and Mail Surveys”. New Directions for Evaluation. 1996;1996(70):45–61.
    1. Dyer N, Sorra JS, Smith SA, Cleary PD. Hays RD. “Psychometric Properties of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) Clinician and Group Adult Visit Survey”. Medical Care. 2012;50:S28–34. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources