Bmc Health Serv Res
-
Bmc Health Serv Res · Jan 2005
Randomized Controlled TrialEffect on survey response rate of hand written versus printed signature on a covering letter: randomised controlled trial [ISRCTN67566265].
It is important that response rates to postal surveys are as high as possible to ensure that the results are representative and to maximise statistical power. Previous research has suggested that any personalisation of approach helps to improve the response rate. This experiment tested whether personalising questionnaires by hand signing the covering letter improved the response rate compared with a non-personalised group where the investigator's signature on the covering letter was scanned into the document and printed. ⋯ No advantage was detected to hand signing the covering letter accompanying a postal questionnaire to health professionals.