Dataset Information

Effect of stamped reply envelopes and timing of newsletter delivery on response rates of mail survey: a randomised controlled trial in a prospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To examine the effects of stamped reply envelope and the timing of newsletter distribution.

Design

A randomised controlled trial in a prospective cohort study with a 2×2 factorial design of two interventions.

Setting

The Japan Nurses' Health Study (JNHS), a prospective cohort study for women's health.

Participants

The present study included 6938 women who were part of the first-year entry cohort for the fifth wave of the biannual follow-up survey of the JNHS.

Intervention

The participants were randomly allocated into four groups; Group-1 (business-reply, newsletter with initial mailing), Group-2 (business-reply, newsletter with reminder), Group-3 (stamped envelopes, newsletter with initial mailing) and Group-4 (stamped envelopes, newsletter with reminder). The thank-you and reminder letters were mailed out at the end of the sixth week. This study was censored at the end of 12 weeks.

Main outcome measures

Main outcome measures were cumulative response at the end of 6 and 12 weeks after mailing out the questionnaire.

Results

The cumulative response at 12 weeks were 58.3% for Group-1, 54.1% for Group-2, 60.5% for Group-3 and 56.7% for Group-4 (p=0.001). The odds of the response was higher for stamped envelopes than for business-reply envelopes (OR (95% CI)=1.10(1.00 to 1.21)). The odds was higher for newsletter delivery with initial mailing than for with reminder (1.18(1.07 to 1.29)). The response in first 6 weeks for stamped envelope was significantly higher than for business-reply envelope (p=0.047). Although the response in 6 weeks for women received the newsletter with initial mailing was lower than for women who did not, the proportions did not differ significantly (p=0.291).

Conclusions

The style of return envelope affected response rates of mail survey. The results of this study suggest that practices of provision of the additional information, should be handled individually in advance, as a separate event from sending follow-up questionnaire or reminder letters.

SUBMITTER: Wakabayashi C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3437560 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Effect of stamped reply envelopes and timing of newsletter delivery on response rates of mail survey: a randomised controlled trial in a prospective cohort study.

Wakabayashi Chizuko C Hayashi Kunihiko K Nagai Kazue K Sakamoto Naoko N Iwasaki Yoko Y

BMJ open 20120904 5

<h4>Objective</h4>To examine the effects of stamped reply envelope and the timing of newsletter distribution.<h4>Design</h4>A randomised controlled trial in a prospective cohort study with a 2×2 factorial design of two interventions.<h4>Setting</h4>The Japan Nurses' Health Study (JNHS), a prospective cohort study for women's health.<h4>Participants</h4>The present study included 6938 women who were part of the first-year entry cohort for the fifth wave of the biannual follow-up survey of the JNH ...[more]

PMID: 22952162

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Project description:BackgroundMedication non-adherence is a major contributor to poor outcomes in diabetes. Previous research has shown an association between use of mail order pharmacy delivery and better medication adherence, but little is known about the barriers and facilitators to mail order pharmacy use in diabetes patients. This qualitative study examined factors related to mail order pharmacy use versus traditional "brick and mortar" pharmacies to refill prescriptions.MethodsWe conducted four 90-min focus groups in 2016 among 28 diabetes patients in the Hawaii and Northern California regions of Kaiser Permanente, a large integrated health care delivery system. We queried participants on their preferred mode for refilling prescriptions and perceived barriers and facilitators of mail order pharmacy use. One researcher independently coded each focus group transcript, with two of these transcripts double-coded by a second researcher to promote reliability. We employed thematic analysis guided by the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior (COM-B) framework using NVivo 11 software.ResultsA total of 28 diabetes patients participated. Participants' average age was 64.1 years; 57% were female; and racial/ethnic backgrounds included Asian/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (36%), Black/African-American (21%) Hispanic/Latino (7%), and non-Hispanic White (36%). Analysis uncovered 26 themes related to the decision to use mail order pharmacy, with each theme representing a barrier or facilitator mapped to the COM-B framework. Most themes (20/26) fell into the COM-B category of 'Opportunity.' Opportunity barriers to mail order pharmacy use included unpredictability of medication delivery date, concerns about mail security, and difficulty coordinating refill orders for multiple prescriptions. In contrast, facilitators included greater access and convenience (e.g., no need to wait in line or arrange transportation) compared to traditional pharmacies. Motivational facilitators to mail order pharmacy use included receiving a pharmacy benefit plan incentive of a free one-month supply of prescriptions.ConclusionsThis study found that while patients with diabetes may benefit from mail order pharmacy use, they perceive numerous barriers to using the service. These findings will inform the design of interventions and quality improvement initiatives to increase mail order pharmacy use, which in turn may improve medication adherence and outcomes in diabetes patients, across health care systems.

Dataset Information

Effect of stamped reply envelopes and timing of newsletter delivery on response rates of mail survey: a randomised controlled trial in a prospective cohort study.

Objective

Design

Setting

Participants

Intervention

Main outcome measures

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Effect of stamped reply envelopes and timing of newsletter delivery on response rates of mail survey: a randomised controlled trial in a prospective cohort study.

Similar Datasets

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