Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of sending electronic prompts to randomized controlled trial participants to return study questionnaires.
STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A "trial within a trial" embedded within a study determining the effectiveness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (DOC) screening on smoking cessation. Those participants taking part in DOC who provided a mobile phone number and/or an electronic mail address were randomized to either receive an electronic prompt or no electronic prompt to return a study questionnaire. The results were combined with two previous studies in a meta-analysis.
RESULTS: A total of 437 participants were randomized: 226 to the electronic prompt group and 211 to the control group. A total of 285 (65.2%) participants returned the follow-up questionnaire: 157 (69.5%) in the electronic prompt group and 128 (60.7%) in the control group [difference 8.8%; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.11%, 17.7%; P = 0.05]. The mean time to response was 23 days in the electronic prompt group and 33 days in the control group (hazard ratio = 1.27; 95% CI: 1.105, 1.47). The meta-analysis of all three studies showed an increase in response rate of 7.1% (95% CI: 0.8%, 13.3%).
CONCLUSION: The use of electronic prompts increased response rates and reduces the time to response.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1446-1450 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of Clinical Epidemiology |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| Early online date | 27 Jan 2015 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2015 |