Abstract
Surveys can be a useful tool for mental health services research. Unfortunately, clinicians typically show low response rates to surveys. To determine whether noncontingent incentives would increase responses among clinicians, we compared no incentive versus four incentives (mood magnet, $1, $2, $5) on response to a 7-page self-report survey of mental health assessment and treatment practices in a sample of 500 clinicians from the 5 largest professional guilds. Noncontingent monetary incentives significantly increased response rate compared to no incentive across all disciplines. Noncontingent monetary incentives are discussed as a cost-effective method for increasing survey response rate among mental health clinicians.
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Acknowledgments
The research was supported in part by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health R03 MH077752 and University of Missouri Research Council (to KMH). The study described here was approved by the Human Subjects Protection committee at the University of Missouri, Columbia.
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Hawley, K.M., Cook, J.R. & Jensen-Doss, A. Do Noncontingent Incentives Increase Survey Response Rates among Mental Health Providers? A Randomized Trial Comparison. Adm Policy Ment Health 36, 343–348 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-009-0225-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-009-0225-z