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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Jennifer T. Lyden, MPH, Jack Leiss, PhD, MPH, Cynthia Klein, PhD, and Sara Sousa, MPH. Statistics and Epidemiology, Constella Health Sciences, 2605 Meridian Parkway, Suite 200, Durham, NC 27713, 919-313-7686, jlyden@constellagroup.com

The inclusion of an incentive has been found to increase response rates to mail surveys among some groups of health care workers, but little is known specifically with respect to nonhospital-based health care workers. We examined how the use of incentives affects mail survey response rates for two groups of nonhospital-based health care workers: paramedics and home health nurses.

In the first study, we compared response rates to a mail survey of paramedics who received one of three incentive options. Participants were offered either 1) a sticker with the study logo, 2) a chance to win a palm pilot with paramedic software installed, or 3) no incentive. Six hundred and seventy two paramedics were selected in a national probability sample and randomly assigned to the incentive groups. Paramedics who received the sticker had a 57% response rate versus 52% for the lottery incentive and 46% for no incentive.

In the second study, participants were offered either 1) a lapel pin with the study logo or 2) a one dollar bill. Four hundred home care and hospice nurses were selected in a random state-wide sample and randomly assigned to the incentive groups. Nurses who received the lapel pin had a 67% response rate versus 62% for the monetary incentive.

These results, although not definitive, suggests a token incentive has a greater effect on response rates than a chance at winning something of greater value and may be used to increase responsiveness to mail surveys in nonhospital-based health care workers.

Learning Objectives: