TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluation of the Total Design Method in a survey of Japanese dentists
AU - Nakai, Yukie
AU - Milgrom, Peter
AU - Yoshida, Toshiko
AU - Ishihara, Chikako
AU - Shimono, Tsutomu
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2005/8/23
Y1 - 2005/8/23
N2 - Background: This study assessed the application of the Total Design Method (TDM) in a mail survey of Japanese dentists. The TDM was chosen because survey response rates in Japan are unacceptably low and the TDM had previously been used in a general population survey. Methods: Four hundred and seventy eight dentist members of the Okayama Medical and Dental Practitioner's Association were surveyed. The nine-page, 27-item questionnaire covered dentist job satisfaction, physical practice, and dentist and patient characteristics. Respondents to the first mailing or the one-week follow-up postcard were defined as early responders; others who responded were late responders. Responder bias was assessed by examining age, gender and training. Results: The overall response rate was 46.7% (223/478). The response rates by follow-up mailing were, 18% after the first mailing, 35.4% after the follow-up postcard, 42.3% after the second mailing, and 46.7% after the third mailing. Respondents did not differ from non-respondents in age or gender, nor were there differences between early and late responders. Conclusion: The application of TDM in this survey of Japanese dentists produced lower rates of response than expected from previous Japanese and US studies.
AB - Background: This study assessed the application of the Total Design Method (TDM) in a mail survey of Japanese dentists. The TDM was chosen because survey response rates in Japan are unacceptably low and the TDM had previously been used in a general population survey. Methods: Four hundred and seventy eight dentist members of the Okayama Medical and Dental Practitioner's Association were surveyed. The nine-page, 27-item questionnaire covered dentist job satisfaction, physical practice, and dentist and patient characteristics. Respondents to the first mailing or the one-week follow-up postcard were defined as early responders; others who responded were late responders. Responder bias was assessed by examining age, gender and training. Results: The overall response rate was 46.7% (223/478). The response rates by follow-up mailing were, 18% after the first mailing, 35.4% after the follow-up postcard, 42.3% after the second mailing, and 46.7% after the third mailing. Respondents did not differ from non-respondents in age or gender, nor were there differences between early and late responders. Conclusion: The application of TDM in this survey of Japanese dentists produced lower rates of response than expected from previous Japanese and US studies.
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U2 - 10.1186/1471-2288-5-27
DO - 10.1186/1471-2288-5-27
M3 - Review article
C2 - 16115323
AN - SCOPUS:24944432299
VL - 5
JO - BMC Medical Research Methodology
JF - BMC Medical Research Methodology
SN - 1471-2288
M1 - 27
ER -