122 - Survey Response Rates in Medical Education Research: A 10-year Meta-analysis

Poster Board Number: 122
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Abstract Body : Purpose: Global growth in the online survey software market may be increasing the response burden within medical education research and possibly jeopardizing higher response rates. This meta-analysis evaluated survey trends over one decade (2011-2020) to determine: 1) whether survey publication rates and response rates are changing, 2) a target response rate for medical education research, and 3) the factors influencing survey completion levels.

Method: Phase I: We estimated survey publication trends over time using articles published in the top three medical education research journals. Phase II: We searched the anatomy education research literature, a proxy for medical education research, across six databases. Study/survey features and survey response rates were extracted from all eligible studies for the purpose of plotting survey response rates over time and performing a proportional meta-analysis.

Results: Phase I: Contrary to global survey market trends, 2,926 articles, from 10 years’ worth of medical education research, suggest the annual proportion of published studies with survey methodologies (33.5%; 980 of 2926) has remained constant. Phase II: Between 2011-2020, the pooled absolute response rate from across 360 studies (k) totaling 115,526 distributed surveys was 67% (95% CI=63.9-69.0). Heterogeneity across studies was substantial (p< 0.001; I2≥99.4%). While response rates have oscillated over time, no significant linear trend (p=0.995) was detected over the 10 years. Neither survey length, incentives, sponsorship, nor population type affected absolute response rates (p≥0.070).

Conclusions: Survey response rates and publications utilizing survey methodologies have remained stable with no linear trend over time. Based on our meta-analytic findings, we recommend medical education researchers strive for a target absolute response rate of 67% or higher and report evidence of survey validity.