title: Allowing Physicians to Choose the Value of Compensation for Participation in a Web-Based Survey: Randomized Controlled Trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Survey response rates among physicians are declining, and determining an appropriate level of compensation to motivate participation poses a major challenge.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the effect of permitting intensive care physicians to select their preferred level of compensation for completing a short Web-based survey on physician (1) response rate, (2) survey completion rate, (3) time to response, and (4) time spent completing the survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1850 US intensivists from an existing database were randomized to receive a survey invitation email with or without an Amazon.com incentive available to the first 100 respondents. The incentive could be instantly redeemed for an amount chosen by the respondent, up to a maximum of US $50.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall response rate was 35.90% (630/1755). Among the 35.4% (111/314) of eligible participants choosing the incentive, 80.2% (89/111) selected the maximum value. Among intensivists offered an incentive, the response was 6.0% higher (95% CI 1.5-10.5, P=.01), survey completion was marginally greater (807/859, 94.0% vs 892/991, 90.0%; P=.06), and the median number of days to survey response was shorter (0.8, interquartile range [IQR] 0.2-14.4 vs 6.6, IQR 0.3-22.3; P=.001), with no difference in time spent completing the survey.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Permitting intensive care physicians to determine compensation level for completing a short Web-based survey modestly increased response rate and substantially decreased response time without decreasing the time spent on survey completion.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States. turnbull@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Alison E
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1564-6547
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Turnbull
authors.forename: Cristi L
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2775-3526
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2355-612X
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Scott D
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3603-4769
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Halpern
authors.forename: Dale M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9538-0557
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Needham
mesh_terms: D035881:Compensation and Redress; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010820:Physicians; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000191:economics*; D017216:Telemedicine
keywords: cash; data collection; electronic questionnaire; monetary incentives; physicians; response rate; survey design