TY - JOUR
T1 - Participant recruitment in sensitive surveys: A comparative trial of 'opt in' versus 'opt out' approaches
AU - Hunt, Katherine J.
AU - Shlomo, Natalie
AU - Addington-Hall, Julia
PY - 2013/1/11
Y1 - 2013/1/11
N2 - Background: Although in health services survey research we strive for a high response rate, this must be balanced against the need to recruit participants ethically and considerately, particularly in surveys with a sensitive nature. In survey research there are no established recommendations to guide recruitment approach and an 'opt-in' system that requires potential participants to request a copy of the questionnaire by returning a reply slip is frequently adopted. However, in observational research the risk to participants is lower than in clinical research and so some surveys have used an 'opt-out' system. The effect of this approach on response and distress is unknown. We sought to investigate this in a survey of end of life care completed by bereaved relatives. Methods: Out of a sample of 1422 bereaved relatives we assigned potential participants to one of two study groups: an 'opt in' group (n=711) where a letter of invitation was issued with a reply slip to request a copy of the questionnaire; or an 'opt out' group (n=711) where the survey questionnaire was provided alongside the invitation letter. We assessed response and distress between groups. Results: From a sample of 1422, 473 participants returned questionnaires. Response was higher in the 'opt out' group than in the 'opt in' group (40% compared to 26.4%: chi2 =29.79, p-value
AB - Background: Although in health services survey research we strive for a high response rate, this must be balanced against the need to recruit participants ethically and considerately, particularly in surveys with a sensitive nature. In survey research there are no established recommendations to guide recruitment approach and an 'opt-in' system that requires potential participants to request a copy of the questionnaire by returning a reply slip is frequently adopted. However, in observational research the risk to participants is lower than in clinical research and so some surveys have used an 'opt-out' system. The effect of this approach on response and distress is unknown. We sought to investigate this in a survey of end of life care completed by bereaved relatives. Methods: Out of a sample of 1422 bereaved relatives we assigned potential participants to one of two study groups: an 'opt in' group (n=711) where a letter of invitation was issued with a reply slip to request a copy of the questionnaire; or an 'opt out' group (n=711) where the survey questionnaire was provided alongside the invitation letter. We assessed response and distress between groups. Results: From a sample of 1422, 473 participants returned questionnaires. Response was higher in the 'opt out' group than in the 'opt in' group (40% compared to 26.4%: chi2 =29.79, p-value
U2 - 10.1186/1471-2288-13-3
DO - 10.1186/1471-2288-13-3
M3 - Article
SN - 1471-2288
SP - 3
JO - BMC Medical Research Methodology
JF - BMC Medical Research Methodology
ER -