Mode Effects in a Safety and Health Survey of Health Care Workers: Findings from a Pilot Test at a Regional Medical Center

• Activity Number: 147
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 8, 2005 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Survey Research Methods
• Author(s): Karl Sieber*+ and James M. Boiano and Gregory M. Piacitelli and James D. Catalano and Nicholas J. Heyer and Payn Betsy
• Companies: National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation and Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation and Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation
• Keywords: mode of response ; paper questionnaire ; web-based survey

Abstract

The National Exposures at Work Survey (NEWS) is being developed to collect data on occupational safety and health practices and perceptions. The feasibility of collecting this type of information using self-administered paper questionnaires or a web-based survey was evaluated in a pilot test of health care workers. Letters of invitation to participate in the survey, along with paper questionnaires, were sent to one group of workers, while only letters of invitation were sent to a second group. Both groups were given the option of whether to complete the questionnaire using the paper or web-based versions. A response rate of 50% to the survey questionnaire was obtained, with 53% of the respondents completing the paper version and 47% completing the web-based version. Most respondents spent between 21 and 30 minutes completing the survey (43% of the paper respondents, 40% of the web respondents). A greater proportion of respondents with less than a college education completed the paper version (29% of paper respondents and 19% of web respondents, p< 0.05).