Title
Procedures that assess inconsistency in meta-analyses can assess the likelihood of response bias in multiwave surveys
Date Issued
01 August 2005
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
McMaster University
Abstract
Background and Objective: Response bias may affect the result of surveys with <100% response rate. We applied methods commonly used in meta-analysis to ascertain the extent to which response bias affects multiwave survey results. Methods: To test hypotheses of between-wave similarity, we used the Cochran-Armitage test for trends and the Q-test of heterogeneity across waves in a survey of 2,127 North American clinicians using six e-mail waves and one fax wave and achieving a response rate of 22%. We used the I2 statistic To quantify the extent of inconsistency in survey outcomes across waves not due to within-wave random error (i.e., inconsistency due to response bias). Results: With this survey, tests of heterogeneity and trend were not significant and I2 equaled 0%. These results suggest that the underlying responses did not differ across waves and thus strengthened the inference that response bias was not affecting the interpretation of the survey. Conclusion: Researchers can use procedures that assess inconsistency in meta-analyses to evaluate the validity of a multiwave survey with a less than optimal response rate. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Start page
856
End page
858
Volume
58
Issue
8
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Estadísticas, Probabilidad
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-22044436786
PubMed ID
Source
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
ISSN of the container
08954356
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus