title: Using electronic surveys to gather information on physician practices during a response to a local epidemic--Rhode Island, 2011.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Electronic invitations may improve physician response rates to participate in internet surveys administered by public health agencies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Following an increase in reported HIV/syphilis co-infection diagnoses among men-who-have-sex-with-men in Rhode Island, we invited the state's 700 adult primary care and emergency medicine physicians via e-mail to participate in an online, multiple choice survey covering their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding sexually transmitted diseases and HIV testing and prevention. Survey invitations were released in three waves over 28 days, triggered by declining daily response rates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 53% (n = 372) who agreed to participate, 68% (n = 252) completed all questions. Response was higher among internal medicine physicians than either family medicine or emergency medicine physicians (63% vs. 20% and 19%, respectively; P<0.0001). Daily response rates were highest in the first 48 hours after sending a reminder e-mail.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This approach supported the Rhode Island Department of Health in rapidly gathering useful physician practice information during an outbreak. Internet-based survey tools coupled with increased prevalence of mobile communication devices and social media could greatly decrease the time and cost of shoe-leather epidemiology.
authors.affiliation: Epidemic Intelligence Service, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. Timothy.Minniear@gmail.com
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Minniear
authors.forename: Emily B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: McIntosh
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Weidle
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fulton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D060085:Coinfection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D034742:Electronic Mail; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D058872:Epidemics; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000379:methods*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012237:Rhode Island; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013588:Syphilis Serodiagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Data collection; Internet; Physician’s practice patterns; Rhode Island; Survey methods