Does it matter whether the recipient of patient questionnaires in general practice is the general practitioner or an independent researcher? The REPLY randomised trial

2008

Impact of Questionnaire Recipient on Patient Responses

Sample size: 274 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Desborough James A, Butters Peter, Bhattacharya Debi, Holland Richard C, Wright David J

Primary Institution: University of East Anglia

Hypothesis

Does the recipient of patient questionnaires in general practice affect the responses regarding adherence and satisfaction?

Conclusion

The study found no significant differences in patient adherence or satisfaction based on whether questionnaires were returned to their medical practice or an independent researcher.

Supporting Evidence

274 patients responded to the questionnaire, with no significant differences in adherence between groups.
Patients in the medical practice group reported more difficulties using their medication compared to the researcher group.
The response rate was less than 50%, which may affect the comparability of the groups.

Takeaway

This study looked at whether patients answer questions differently based on who they send their surveys to, and it turns out it doesn't really matter.

Methodology

Patients over 18 years on new long-term medication were randomly assigned to return questionnaires to either their medical practice or an independent researcher.