General Practitioners’ Participation in a Large, Multicountry Combined General Practitioner-Patient Survey: Recruitment Procedures and Participation Rate
Table 1
Recruitment procedures.
Country
Sampling procedure
Recruitment methods
Reminders
Incentives
Fieldworkers
Supporting bodies
Duration survey
Austria
B
E-mail, personal
4 to 5
90
Yes
Austrian Society of General Practitioners (ÖGAM), GP education networks of Medical Universities in Austria, GP research network of the Medical University of Vienna, district GPs
9 months
Belgium
B
Letter, telephone, e-mail
Not known
Partly: 30 (voucher, cash for the practice or donated to charity) Partly: nothing
Yes
National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (RIZIV/INAMI)
23 months
Bulgaria
B
Telephone, face-to-face
2
None
Yes
None
2 months
Cyprus
A
Letter, telephone
Not known
A thank you letter and a small gift (pen)
Yes
Ministry of Health
3 months
Czech Republic
B
Letter, telephone, personal contact
Not known
A textbook on General Practice
Yes
Czech Society of General Practice, Czech Medical Society Jan Evangelista Purkyne, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Czech Health Statistics Office
5.5 months
Denmark
B
E-mail
2
98,67
No
The Danish College of General Practitioners
4 months
England
C
Letter and E-mail
1 or more
£100
No
The National Institute for Health Research Primary Care Research Network
8 months
Estonia
A
Letter, telephone, e-mail
2
Credits for personal certification and accreditation of practice (based on the certificate issued by the University of Tartu)
Yes
Estonian Association of Family Doctors
5.5 months
Finland
D
Letter, e-mail, telephone, personal contact
Not known
None
Yes
General practitioners in Finland (GPF) (union of doctors in health centres) and the Finnish Association for General Practice
12 months
Germany
B
Letter
Maximum 1
Lottery 1 Apple iPad
Yes
German College of General Practitioners and Family Physicians (DEGAM) (support was mentioned, but no letter from the professional organization)
11 months
Greece
D
Telephone, letter
Not known
Certificate for their participation and also a gratitude letter on behalf of the Scientific Coordinator
Yes
The Greek Association of General Practitioners (ELEGEIA)
11 months
Hungary
D
E-mail and personal contact
Not known
Small financial opportunity for choosing books from a list, free-educational courses
Yes
All the other 3 departments of family medicine
7 months
Iceland
A
Letter and personal contact
None
An invitation to participate in a seminar were the Icelandic data will be presented
Yes
Icelandic Family Physician Association; Directorate of Health and Ministry of Welfare
3 months
Ireland
D
Letter, e-mail, personal contact, advertisement
Not known
500 prices in draw and possibility of obtaining internal credits for professional competence requirements
Yes
The Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) The ICGP Research Committee and Research Network
11 months
Italy
E
Telephone
Not known
None
Yes
World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) Italia
15 months
Latvia
B
Telephone, e-mail
2 to 3
Credit points
Yes
Riga Stradins University. Rural Family doctors association of Latvia
3 months
Lithuania
B
Personally
Not known
None
Yes
None
3.5 months
Luxembourg
A
Telephone
None
None
Yes
Clinical and Epidemiological Investigation Center (CIEC), Luxemburg Institute of Health
9.5 months
Macedonia
B
Letter and e-mail
6-7
None
Yes
Macedonian Association of GP/FM specialists
2.5 months
Malta
B
Telephone
None
Financial reimbursement of 80
Yes
Malta College of Family Doctors The Foundation Programme Malta
3 months
Netherlands
B
Letter, e-mail, telephone
3 to 5
5 GPs could win an iPad
Yes
None
14.5 months
Norway
E
Letter, e-mail, telephone
1 to 4
Gift cards
Yes, partially
The four General Practice Research Units in Norway
6 months
Poland
C
Letter, telephone, e-mail
None
Books (literature & fiction)
Yes
Regional branches of the College of Family Physicians
6.5 months
Portugal
B
Letter, e-mail, telephone
2 to 3
Certificate
Yes
Management Boards of the five Health Regions, the National GP Association and the National GP newspaper
5 months
Romania
B
Letter, telephone, e-mail, personal contact
1
None
Yes
The Romanian College of Physicians
2.5 months
Spain
C
E-mail, telephone
Not known
CME points
Yes
(i) Research Units of Primary Care (ii) Primary Health Centres accredited to train GPs (Training Units for GPs) (iii) Institute of Research of Primary Care of Catalonia
8 months
Slovakia
B
Letter, telephone, personal contact
Maximum 5
Lottery: first tombola price is a 4-day trip to Amsterdam and Utrecht for 2 persons. Prices 2. to 50. are different small practical presents for surgery use, f.e. Tonometers, glucometers, medical books, workpads, and so forth
Yes
Slovak Society of General Practice
5 months
Slovenia
B
Letter, telephone, e-mail
2
None
Yes
Institute for Development of Family Medicine, Medical Chamber
11 months
Sweden
B
Letter
1
None
Yes, partially
Swedish Medical Association, General Practice division and their Research Committee
7.5 months
Switzerland
B
Letter, telephone
Maximum 1
A book voucher (81)
Yes
Two main medical associations (family medicine and General Internal Medicine)
9 months
Turkey
C
Letter and personal contact
None
None
Yes
Ministry of Health and Health directory of each province participating
2 months
Sampling procedures codes: A = (almost) entire GP population; B = random national sample (stratified or not); C = random sample in preselected regions; D = mixed procedure (random procedure plus selected GPs); E = “opportunity sampling”/volunteers. The number of reminders was not always well recorded. The duration of the field work includes the collection of patient data.
