RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 When questionnaire response rates do matter: a survey of general practitioners and their views of NHS changes.
JF British Journal of General Practice
JO Br J Gen Pract
FD British Journal of General Practice
SP 479
OP 480
VO 50
IS 455
A1 Armstrong, D
A1 Ashworth, M
YR 2000
UL http://bjgp.org/content/50/455/479.abstract
AB This paper investigates whether general practitioners (GPs) who do not participate in questionnaire surveys (non-responders) hold different views on participation in primary care reorganisation than their more compliant colleagues. A survey of 72 GPs' involvement in a pilot primary care prescribing group elicited an initial response of 74%. Non-responders were then approached personally and persuaded to complete the questionnaire. Comparison of the responders and the non-responders showed that the latter did differ significantly from the responders in many of their views. This difference needs to be considered whenever the results of surveys are used to guide policy-making in the more corporate model of primary care that is now emerging.