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
Review
. 2022 Mar 9:9:100068.
doi: 10.1016/j.sipas.2022.100068. eCollection 2022 Jun.

Survey response in colorectal surgery. A systematic review

Vincent M Meyer  1 , Stan Benjamens  1 , Joost Keupers  1 , Louise B D Banning  1 , Robert A Pol  1 , Johan F M Lange  1
Affiliations
Review

Survey response in colorectal surgery. A systematic review

Vincent M Meyer et al. Surg Pract Sci. .

Abstract

Background: Survey research is widely used for developing value-based management strategies in colorectal surgery. However, declining response rates threaten the validity of results. Our aim is to identify factors that influence response rate in colorectal surgical surveys and provide recommendations for future survey design.

Methods: We performed a (MEDLINE) search between 2007 and 2020 for survey studies in colorectal surgery providing response rates.

Results: Our search revealed 5693 studies, of which 128 studies were included. Patients with colorectal cancer have a lower mean response rate than patients with benign pathology (62.8% vs 75.5%, p < 0.001). Response rate depends on the mode of survey; conducted in person (76%), postal (68%), email (61%) and web-based (44%). Patients participate more often than doctors (P < 0.001). Reminders can positively influence response rates in postal patient surveys (p = 0.03). The proportion of web-based doctor surveys has grown over time (p < 0.01) and overall survey response is declining over time (p = < 0.01).

Conclusion: In-person surveying should be explored first in colorectal surgery, especially when addressing colorectal cancer patients and doctors. Reminders are useful to boost response rate in postal surveys directed at patients. Web-based doctor surveys generate the lowest response rate. As response rate is declining, it is important to address these factors when designing and reviewing colorectal surgical survey studies.

Keywords: Colorectal cancer; Colorectal surgery; Postal; Response rate; Survey.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors report no competing interests or conflicts of interest

Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
(A) shows number of survey studies per disease category. (B) shows mean response rate per disease category. CI bars for categories >3 studies.
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Left hand side shows mean response rate per mode of survey (p < 0,01). Right hand side shows mean response rate for patient (p = 0.16) and doctor surveys (p = 0.03) per mode of survey. P-value for ANOVA. Only two email studies were directed at patients.
Fig 3
Fig. 3
Left hand side shows percentage share of individual survey modes per 3-year time cohort. P-value for Pearson's chi-Square test. Right hand side shows mean response rate over time (p = 0.003) and number of studies. P-value for Jonckheere-Terpstra test
Fig 4
Fig. 4
The mean response rate in 7 most published journals.
Fig 5
Fig. 5
Mean response rate (95% CI) per country or geographic area.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Sutton P.A., Bourdon-Pierre R., Smith C., et al. Evaluating unmet needs in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer: a patient reported outcome measures study. Colorectal Dis. 2019;21(7) doi: 10.1111/codi.14599. codi.14599. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lungu D.A., Pennucci F., de Rosis S., Romano G., Melfi F. Implementing successful systematic patient reported outcome and experience measures (PROMs and PREMs) in robotic oncological surgery—the role of physicians. Int J Health Plan Manag. 2020;35(3):773–787. doi: 10.1002/hpm.2959. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hawkins A.T., Rothman R.L., Geiger T.M., et al. Patient-reported outcome measures in colon and rectal surgery: a systematic review and quality assessment. Dis Colon Rectum. 2020:1156–1167. doi: 10.1097/DCR.0000000000001717. Published online. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. McNair A.G.K., Whistance R.N., Forsythe R.O., et al. Synthesis and summary of patient-reported outcome measures to inform the development of a core outcome set in colorectal cancer surgery. Colorectal Dis. 2015;17(11):O217–O229. doi: 10.1111/codi.13021. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kluetz P.G., O'Connor D.J., Soltys K. Incorporating the patient experience into regulatory decision making in the USA, Europe, and Canada. Lancet Oncol. 2018;19(5):e267–e274. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30097-4. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources