Managing an Online Survey about Influenza Vaccination in Primary Healthcare Workers

Online surveys are increasingly used due to their speed and efficiency. The aim of this study was to analyze factors that may have contributed to the quality and speed of response of an online survey on influenza vaccination in primary healthcare workers. A multicenter study including family physicians, nurses and pediatricians from primary healthcare teams from seven Spanish Autonomous Communities was designed. The centers were selected by simple random sampling. The survey remained active and accessible for 56 days and four reminders were sent. The odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to assess the association of sociodemographic variables and responding to the survey before the second reminder. Complete, validated information was obtained from 1965 primary healthcare workers. The total response rate was 36.2%. More nurses (46.3%) responded before the second reminder and more family physicians (52.8%) after the second reminder. The adjusted OR shows that family physicians responded later (AOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.2–1.8) than nurses. The responses obtained in the first 24 h after the initial sending and the reminders accounted for 41.7% of the completed surveys, indicating the importance of reminders.

[1]  F. González-Candelas,et al.  Knowledge of and Attitudes to Influenza Vaccination in Healthy Primary Healthcare Workers in Spain, 2011-2012 , 2013, PloS one.

[2]  J. Fulton,et al.  Using electronic surveys to gather information on physician practices during a response to a local epidemic--Rhode Island, 2011. , 2013, Annals of epidemiology.

[3]  C. Franco-Paredes,et al.  Social determinants of health and seasonal influenza vaccination in adults ≥65 years: a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative data , 2013, BMC Public Health.

[4]  T. Pumarola,et al.  Effectiveness of pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccines in preventing pandemic influenza-associated hospitalization. , 2012, Vaccine.

[5]  F. Romo,et al.  Encuesta sobre la vacunación de adultos en España. Gripe y neumococo , 2012 .

[6]  E. Schwarz,et al.  Primary care physicians' perceptions of rates of unintended pregnancy. , 2012, Contraception.

[7]  M. F. Domínguez-Berjón,et al.  Tasas de respuesta a tres estudios de opinión realizados mediante cuestionarios en línea en el ámbito sanitario , 2012 .

[8]  J. Tilburt,et al.  Attitudes toward and Uptake of H1N1 Vaccine among Health Care Workers during the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic , 2011, PloS one.

[9]  F. Ahmed,et al.  Institutional requirements for influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel: results from a nationally representative survey of acute care hospitals--United States, 2011. , 2011, Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

[10]  L. Graff,et al.  Behavioral change with influenza vaccination: factors influencing increased uptake of the pandemic H1N1 versus seasonal influenza vaccine in health care personnel. , 2011, Vaccine.

[11]  J. Savageau,et al.  Recruitment and Retention of Primary Care Physicians at Community Health Centers: A Survey of Massachusetts Physicians , 2011, Journal of health care for the poor and underserved.

[12]  C. Pannucci,et al.  Survey Says? A Primer on Web-Based Survey Design and Distribution , 2011, Plastic and reconstructive surgery.

[13]  S. Rasmussen,et al.  Understanding physicians' attitudes toward people with Down syndrome , 2011, American journal of medical genetics. Part A.

[14]  J. Rodríguez-Baño,et al.  Perspectives from Spanish infectious diseases professionals on 2009 A (H1N1) influenza: the third half. , 2011, Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

[15]  T. Pumarola,et al.  [Risk factors of influenza (H1N1) 2009 hospitalization and effectiveness of pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical interventions in its prevention: a case-control study]. , 2011, Revista espanola de salud publica.

[16]  Nel Roeleveld,et al.  Web-based questionnaires: the future in epidemiology? , 2010, American journal of epidemiology.

[17]  Stephan M. Wagner,et al.  HANDLING NONRESPONSE IN LOGISTICS RESEARCH , 2010 .

[18]  J. Guzman,et al.  Influenza Vaccination and Intention to Receive the Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Vaccine among Healthcare Workers of British Columbia, Canada: A Cross-Sectional Study , 2010, Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

[19]  Mark Petticrew,et al.  Effects of a Financial Incentive on Health Researchers’ Response to an Online Survey: a Randomized Controlled Trial , 2010, Journal of medical Internet research.

[20]  Susan Holmes,et al.  Methodological and ethical considerations in designing an Internet study of quality of life: a discussion paper. , 2009, International journal of nursing studies.

[21]  F. Kreuter,et al.  Social Desirability Bias in CATI, IVR, and Web Surveys The Effects of Mode and Question Sensitivity , 2008 .

[22]  Carol C. Bienstock,et al.  An analysis of how nonresponse error is assessed in academic marketing research , 2007 .

[23]  Mick P Couper,et al.  Issues of representation in eHealth research (with a focus on web surveys). , 2007, American journal of preventive medicine.

[24]  K. Shutt,et al.  Influenza Vaccination Rates and Motivators Among Healthcare Worker Groups , 2007, Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

[25]  Sherri L. LaVela,et al.  Attitudes and Practices Regarding Influenza Vaccination Among Healthcare Workers Providing Services to Individuals With Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders , 2004, Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

[26]  R. H. Moore,et al.  Total Survey Error. , 1980 .

[27]  Vidal Díaz de Rada Igúzquiza,et al.  Internet, Phone, Mail and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method. Don A. Dillman, Jolene D. Smyth y Leah Melani Christian. (New Jersey, John Wiley and Sons, 2014) , 2016 .

[28]  L. Grohskopf,et al.  Effect of influenza vaccination of healthcare personnel on morbidity and mortality among patients: systematic review and grading of evidence. , 2014, Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

[29]  M. Theodoridou,et al.  Attitudes toward mandatory occupational vaccinations and vaccination coverage against vaccine-preventable diseases of health care workers in primary health care centers. , 2013, American journal of infection control.

[30]  Deborah Richards,et al.  Estimating non-response bias in a web-based survey of technology acceptance: a case study of unit guide information systems , 2012 .

[31]  Wayne Usher.  Australian health professionals' health website recommendation trends. , 2011, Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals.

[32]  P. Biemer.  Total Survey Error: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation , 2010 .

[33]  Robert M. Groves,et al.  Total Survey Error: Past, Present, and Future , 2010 .

[34]  A. Freiburghaus,et al.  Influenza vaccination coverage rates in Austria in 2006/07 – a representative cross-sectional telephone survey , 2008, Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift.