title: Evaluation of an intervention to improve successful completion of the Mini-AQLQ: comparison of postal and supervised completion.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous postal administration of Mini Asthma-related Quality of Life Questionnaire (Mini-AQLQ) (validated for self-completion under supervision) resulted in 12.7% completion error rate.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To administer the Mini-AQLQ by post with instructions, and to compare completion errors with our previous study and usable response rate with supervised self-completion.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Mini-AQLQ, with an instruction sheet, was posted to 96 participants from UK general practice, for completion 1 week before supervised self-completion in the surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  94/96 (98%) postal questionnaires were returned: the error rate of 10.6% was similar to our previous study (postal versus previous: 10/94 versus 23/181: P=0.62). 86/96 (90%) attended for supervised completion with no completion errors (supervised versus postal: 0/86 versus 10/94: P</=0.01) Overall usable response rates were similar. (supervised versus postal: 86/96 versus 84/96, P=0.65).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our instruction sheet did not significantly reduce postal completion errors, however the good postal return rate achieved comparable overall usable response rates to supervised administration.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Foresterhill Health Centre, University of Aberdeen, Westburn Road, Aberdeen, Scotland AB25 2AY, UK.
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pinnock
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.forename: Elizabeth F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Juniper