44 – INCREASING THE RESPONSE RATE TO SURVEYS: HOW IMPORTANT IS ACADEMIC PRESTIGE TO ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEONS?

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate

1. if adding the prospect of co-authorship to a survey’s final paper would increase, and

2. if the sending modality (fax or email) would affect, the six-week response rate of an orthopaedic survey.

Method: We identified orthopaedic surgeons through the internet-based Orthopaedic Trauma Association member list. All surgeons received the same questionnaire. In a factorial randomized, controlled fashion, they were allocated

1. to receive or not receive an additional cover page promising co-authorship of the survey’s final paper if they filled in and returned the survey (an “academic incentive”), and

2. to receive their survey by fax or email.

Results: For 429 surveyed surgeons, six-week response rates were similar for surgeons in the incentive – and no-incentive groups (36.8% vs. 35.4%, respectively, p=0.39). Similarly, response rates did not significantly differ between emailed and faxed surgeons (32.9% vs. 39.9%, respectively, p=0.13). The mean time to response seemed shorter in the incentive-group than in the no-incentive group (p=0.058).

Conclusion: We cannot recommend promising co-authorship to increase the response rates of surveys to orthopaedic surgeons. Additionally, emailed and faxed surveys yielded statistically similar response rates, leaving the decision regarding what modality to employ to time and money constraints.