Comparison of four survey methods to enroll radiologic technologists in South Korea

Abstract

Background:Various survey methods apply for data collection in epidemiological researches. Since each method has both weakness and strength, it is important to identify appropriate method for region, subjects, and period- specific methods. Aim: The aim of this study was to compare four survey methods in the radiologic technologists’ cohort in South Korea. Methods:We have conducted the self-administered questionnaire survey through postal, on-site visits, fax and web-based methods. We evaluated response quality and cost-effectiveness for four methods of survey administration, and compared response rates by hospital size among subjects recruited by postal survey. Results:We have enrolled a total of 10,531 radiologic technologists working in South Korea in 2012. The postal survey (52.9%) has occupied the highest response method, followed by the web (27.4%), fax (10.7%), and on-site (9.0%). The response quality, which was evaluated by the item completeness, was the highest in web-based survey (?97.5%) and the lowest in on-site survey (41.9%). The fax survey was the most cost-effective method ($0.45 per subject), followed by on-site survey ($0.57), and web-based survey ($2.89) was the most expensive. The postal survey was with an average of 6.4 days to respond. The response rate was significantly increased with hospital size among postal survey. Conclusion:Our findings suggest that the postal survey is better than other types of survey methods in terms of accessibility, data quality and cost-effectiveness for enrolment of radiologic technologists in South Korea.