Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

LIVE: Thursday 2nd May 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

Quality sleep is essential for health. But what happens to our brains when sleep patterns are disturbed? Join our experts to explore the interplay between sleep disruption and neurological diseases, and the questions that you need to be asking your patients to help you prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Trials
Published in: Trials 1/2009

Open Access 01-12-2009 | Research

Does a monetary incentive improve the response to a postal questionnaire in a randomised controlled trial? The MINT incentive study

Authors: Simon Gates, Mark A Williams, Emma Withers, Esther Williamson, Shahrul Mt-Isa, Sarah E Lamb

Published in: Trials | Issue 1/2009

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Sending a monetary incentive with postal questionnaires has been found to improve the proportion of responders, in research in non-healthcare settings. However, there is little research on use of incentives to improve follow-up rates in clinical trials, and existing studies are inconclusive. We conducted a randomised trial among participants in the Managing Injuries of the Neck Trial (MINT) to investigate the effects on the proportion of questionnaires returned and overall non-response of sending a £5 gift voucher with a follow-up questionnaire.

Methods

Participants in MINT were randomised to receive either: (a) a £5 gift voucher (incentive group) or (b) no gift voucher (no incentive group), with their 4 month or 8 month follow-up questionnaire. We recorded, for each group, the number of questionnaires returned, the number returned without any chasing from the study office, the overall number of non-responders (after all chasing efforts by the study office), and the costs of following up each group.

Results

2144 participants were randomised, 1070 to the incentive group and 1074 to the no incentive group. The proportion of questionnaires returned (RR 1.10 (95% CI 1.05, 1.16)) and the proportion returned without chasing (RR 1.14 (95% CI 1.05, 1.24) were higher in the incentive group, and the overall non-response rate was lower (RR 0.68 (95% CI 0.53, 0.87)). Adjustment for injury severity and hospital of recruitment to MINT made no difference to these results, and there were no differences in results between the 4-month and 8-month follow up questionnaires. Analysis of costs suggested a cost of £67.29 per additional questionnaire returned.

Conclusion

Monetary incentives may be an effective way to increase the proportion of postal questionnaires returned and minimise loss to follow-up in clinical trials.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN61305297
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Edwards PJ, Roberts IG, Clarke MJ, DiGuiseppi C, Wentz R, Kwan I, Cooper R, Felix L, Pratap S: Methods to increase response rates to postal questionnaires. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007, 18 (2): MR000008-
2.
Nakash RA, Hutton JL, Jorstad-Stein EC, Gates S, Lamb SE, Nakash RA, Hutton JL, Jorstad-Stein EC, Gates S, Lamb SE: Maximising response to postal questionnaires-a systematic review of randomised trials in health research. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2006, 6: 5-10.1186/1471-2288-6-5.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
3.
Dirmaier J, Harfst T, Koch U, Schulz H, Dirmaier J, Harfst T, Koch U, Schulz H: Incentives increased return rates but did not influence partial nonresponse or treatment outcome in a randomized trial. J Clin Epidemiol. 2007, 60 (12): 1263-1270. 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2007.04.006.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Kenyon S, Pike K, Jones D, Taylor D, Salt A, Marlow N, Brocklehurst P, Kenyon S, Pike K, Jones D: The effect of a monetary incentive on return of a postal health and development questionnaire: a randomised trial [ISRCTN53994660]. BMC Health Serv Res. 2005, 5: 55-10.1186/1472-6963-5-55.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
5.
Brealey SD, Atwell C, Bryan S, Coulton S, Cox H, Cross B, Fylan F, Garratt A, Gilbert FJ, Gillan MG: Improving response rates using a monetary incentive for patient completion of questionnaires: an observational study. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2007, 7: 12-10.1186/1471-2288-7-12.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
6.
Lamb SE, Gates S, Underwood MR, Cooke MW, Ashby D, Szczepura A, Williams MA, Williamson EM, Withers EJ, Mt-Isa S: Managing Injuries of the Neck Trial (MINT): design of a randomised controlled trial of treatments for whiplash associated disorders. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2007, 8: 7-10.1186/1471-2474-8-7.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
7.
Vernon H, Mior S: The Neck Disability Index: a study of reliability and validity. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1991, 14 (7): 409-415.PubMed
8.
Spitzer WO, Skovron ML, Salmi LR, Cassidy JD, Duranceau J, Suissa S, Zeiss E: Scientific monograph of the Quebec Task Force on Whiplash-Associated Disorders: redefining "whiplash" and its management. Spine. 1995, 20 (8 Suppl): 1S-73S.PubMed
9.
Kenyon SL, Taylor DJ, Tarnow-Mordi W, Group OC: Broad-spectrum antibiotics for preterm, prelabour rupture of fetal membranes: the ORACLE I randomised trial. ORACLE Collaborative Group. Lancet. 2001, 357 (9261): 979-988. 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)04233-1.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Kenyon SL, Taylor DJ, Tarnow-Mordi W, Group OC: Broad-spectrum antibiotics for spontaneous preterm labour: the ORACLE II randomised trial. ORACLE Collaborative Group. Lancet. 2001, 357 (9261): 989-994. 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)04234-3.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Edwards P, Cooper R, Roberts I, Frost C: Meta-analysis of randomised trials of monetary incentives and response to mailed questionnaires. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2005, 59 (11): 987-999. 10.1136/jech.2005.034397.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
Metadata
Title
Does a monetary incentive improve the response to a postal questionnaire in a randomised controlled trial? The MINT incentive study
Authors
Simon Gates
Mark A Williams
Emma Withers
Esther Williamson
Shahrul Mt-Isa
Sarah E Lamb
Publication date
01-12-2009
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Trials / Issue 1/2009
Electronic ISSN: 1745-6215
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6215-10-44

Other articles of this Issue 1/2009

Trials 1/2009 Go to the issue

Study protocol

REFINE (Reducing Falls in In-patient Elderly) - a randomised controlled trial

Study protocol

Clinical trial to assess the effect of physical exercise on endothelial function and insulin resistance in pregnant women

Study protocol

SWiss Atorvastatin and Interferon Beta-1b Trial In Multiple Sclerosis (SWABIMS) - rationale, design and methodology

Study protocol

The impact of iron supplementation efficiency in female blood donors with a decreased ferritin level and no anaemia. Rationale and design of a randomised controlled trial: a study protocol

Study protocol

Rationale and design of WEBCARE: A randomized, controlled, web-based behavioral intervention trial in cardioverter-defibrillator patients to reduce anxiety and device concerns and enhance quality of life

Research

Intravenous fluid restriction after major abdominal surgery: a randomized blinded clinical trial