Look First!
• Is there a pre-existing questionnaire
which has been used for a similar
purpose?
• Are there ‘question groups’ from
validated questionnaires that you could
use?
Stages in Carrying out a Survey
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
define the purpose
define the population
sample
design the form
arrange the form
code the data
collect the data
• review forms
• data entry
• analysis
Define the EXACT Purpose
Complete
Informative
Precise
The Population
In general , surveys are focussed upon a
particular population be it in terms of: -
•
•
•
•
age
sex
disease
occupation
•
•
•
•
socioeconomic group
geographical location
health service region
service user
Examples of Population
Definitions
• Consecutive sample of 389 patients requesting
emergency house calls from a independent
emergency care organisation in Geneva,
Switzerland.
• All pupils in grades 1 and 3 from the secondary
schools in Vaxjo, in southern Sweden, were
invited to participate in the study.
Examples of Population
Definitions contd. . . .
• Mailed a questionnaire to all Japanese
hypertension specialists.
• 553 randomly selected and 204 symptomatic
participants aged between 20 and 44 years
completed a detailed respiratory
questionnaire.
Sampling
Methods of Sampling
•
•
•
•
Random
Systematic
Stratified
Cluster
Resource Limitations
The Questions
• Construction
– wording of prime importance
• appropriate
• intelligible
• unambiguous
• unbiased
• coded
The Questions
• Construction
– avoid complex, leading, highbrow,
irritating, negative and open-ended
questions
– anticipate type and range of
responses
The Questions
• Sequence
– logical
– non-threatening
– encouraging
Ethical!
• Your final
questionnaire
MUST be ethical.
• Ethical committees
will scrutinise what
you are asking!
• Colour code
• Clear, attractive
layout
• Fonts
– questions
– instructions
• Title
Pre-Test & Pilot Your Form
• On colleagues
• On a small sample of target audience
Revise!
Revise!
Revise!
Interviewers
• Appropriate to target
group
– gender
– age
– personality
– socioeconomic status
– appearance
Interviewers
• Training/briefing/
ownership
• Quality control
Reviewing the Forms
Quality Control
If you cannot identify
any problems with the
forms - look again you have missed
them!
After Data Collection & Review?
• Data coding
• Input data
• Validate
• Analyse
• Report
Questionnaires in Medicine
Diagnostic tools
Clinical assessment
Research
Efficiency & Effectiveness of . . .
What is a Validated Questionnaire
A survey instrument which has
been established to be sound
by multiple trials yielding consistent results
Clinical Assessment
• Administered routinely
• Easy, quick and reproducible
• Contributing to
– diagnosis
– management
– treatment