Accuracy of responses from postal surveys about continuing medical education and information behavior: experiences from a survey among German diabetologists.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Postal surveys are a popular instrument for studies about continuing medical education habits. But little is known about the accuracy of responses in such surveys. The objective of this study was to quantify the magnitude of inaccurate responses in a postal survey among physicians.

Methods

A sub-analysis of a questionnaire about continuing medical education habits and information management was performed. The five variables used for the quantitative analysis are based on a question about the knowledge of a fictitious technical term and on inconsistencies in contingency tables of answers to logically connected questions.

Results

Response rate was 52%. Non-response bias is possible but seems not very likely since an association between demographic variables a

SUBMITTER: Trelle S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC126225 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature