Dataset Information

Are lower response rates hazardous to your health survey? An analysis of three state telephone health surveys.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To examine the impact of response rate variation on survey estimates and costs in three health telephone surveys.

Data source

Three telephone surveys of noninstitutionalized adults in Minnesota and Oklahoma conducted from 2003 to 2005.

Study design

We examine differences in demographics and health measures by number of call attempts made before completion of the survey or whether the household initially refused to participate. We compare the point estimates we actually obtained with those we would have obtained with a less aggressive protocol and subsequent lower response rate. We also simulate what the effective sample sizes would have been if less aggressive protocols were followed.

Principal findings

Unweighted bivariate analyses reveal many differences between early completers and those requiring more contacts and between those who initially refused to participate and those who did not. However, after making standard poststratification adjustments, no statistically significant differences were observed in the key health variables we examined between the early responders and the estimates derived from the full reporting sample.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that for the surveys we examined, larger effective sample sizes (i.e., more statistical power) could have been achieved with the same amount of funding using less aggressive calling protocols. For some studies, money spent on aggressively pursuing high response rates could be better used to increase statistical power and/or to directly examine nonresponse bias.

SUBMITTER: Davern M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2965507 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Are lower response rates hazardous to your health survey? An analysis of three state telephone health surveys.

Davern Michael M McAlpine Donna D Beebe Timothy J TJ Ziegenfuss Jeanette J Rockwood Todd T Call Kathleen Thiede KT

Health services research 20101001 5 Pt 1

<h4>Objective</h4>To examine the impact of response rate variation on survey estimates and costs in three health telephone surveys.<h4>Data source</h4>Three telephone surveys of noninstitutionalized adults in Minnesota and Oklahoma conducted from 2003 to 2005.<h4>Study design</h4>We examine differences in demographics and health measures by number of call attempts made before completion of the survey or whether the household initially refused to participate. We compare the point estimates we act ...[more]

PMID: 20579127

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Patient surveys typically have variable response rates between organizations, leading to concerns that such differences may affect the validity of performance comparisons. OBJECTIVE:To explore the size and likely sources of associations between hospital-level survey response rates and patient experience. RESEARCH DESIGN, SUBJECTS, AND MEASURES:Cross-sectional mail survey including 60 patient experience items sent to 101,771 cancer survivors recently treated by 158 English NHS hospitals. Age, sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, clinical diagnosis, hospital type, and region were available for respondents and nonrespondents. RESULTS:The overall response rate was 67% (range, 39% to 77% between hospitals). Hospitals with higher response rates had higher scores for all items (Spearman correlation range, 0.03-0.44), particularly questions regarding hospital-level administrative processes, for example, procedure cancellations or medical note availability.From multivariable analysis, associations between individual patient experience and hospital-level response rates were statistically significant (P<0.05) for 53/59 analyzed questions, decreasing to 37/59 after adjusting for case-mix, and 25/59 after further adjusting for hospital-level characteristics.Predicting responses of nonrespondents, and re-estimating hypothetical hospital scores assuming a 100% response rate, we found that currently low performing hospitals would have attained even lower scores. Overall nationwide attainment would have decreased slightly to that currently observed. CONCLUSIONS:Higher response rate hospitals have more positive experience scores, and this is only partly explained by patient case-mix. High response rates may be a marker of efficient hospital administration, and higher quality that should not, therefore, be adjusted away in public reporting. Although nonresponse may result in slightly overestimating overall national levels of performance, it does not appear to meaningfully bias comparisons of case-mix-adjusted hospital results.

Project description:ObjectiveThe aim of this observational cross-sectional study was to analyse the spatial distribution of major lower limb amputation (MLLA) rates and associate them to socioeconomic, demographic and public healthcare access-related variables in the State of Paraná, Brazil, from 2012 to 2017.MethodData on MLLA, revascularisation surgeries, diagnostic exams and healthcare coverage were obtained from the Brazilian Public Hospital Information System. Socioeconomic data were obtained from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Spatial autocorrelation of the MLLA rates was tested using Moran's I method. Multivariate spatial regression models using ordinary least squares regression (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) were used to identify the variables significantly correlated with MLLA.ResultsA total of 5270 MLLA were included in the analysis. Mean MLLA rates were 24.32 (±18.22)/100 000 inhabitants, showing a positive global spatial autocorrelation (Moran's I=0.66; p<0.001). Queen contiguity matrix demonstrates that MLLA rates ranged from 7.6 to 46.6/100 000 with five large clusters of high MLLA rates. OLS showed that four of the nine studied variables presented significant spatial correlation with MLLA rates. Colour Doppler ultrasound showed a negative association (p<0.001), while revascularisation surgeries and illiteracy showed a positive correlation (p<0.01). GWR presented the best model (adjusted R2=0.77) showing that the predictors differentially affect the MLLA rates geographically.ConclusionThe high MLLA rates in some regions of the state are influenced by the high rate of illiteracy and low utilisation rate of colour Doppler, indicating a social problem and difficulty in accessing health. On the other hand, the high rates of revascularisation surgeries are related to higher MLLA rates, possibly due to delayed access to specialised hospitals. This indicates that attention must be given to population access to public healthcare in the State of Paraná in order to ensure proper and timely medical attention.

Dataset Information

Are lower response rates hazardous to your health survey? An analysis of three state telephone health surveys.

Objective

Data source

Study design

Principal findings

Conclusions

Publications

Are lower response rates hazardous to your health survey? An analysis of three state telephone health surveys.

Similar Datasets

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