@article{ref1,
title="Evaluation of three postal invitational strategies to increase survey response rates in a combat-injured U.S.  military population: findings from the Wounded Warrior Recovery Project",
journal="Military medicine",
year="2019",
author="Sack, Daniel I. and Woodruff, Susan I. and McCabe, Cameron T. and Galarneau, Michael R. and Han, Peggy P.",
volume="184",
number="Suppl 1",
pages="521-528",
abstract="The survival rate of those injured in combat in overseas contingency operations is higher than in previous conflicts. There is a need to assess the long-term psychosocial and quality of life outcomes of those injured in combat, yet surveying this population presents inherent challenges. As part of a large-scale, longitudinal examination of patient-reported outcomes of service members injured on deployment, the present manuscript evaluated the effectiveness of three postal strategies on response rates: (1) mailing a study prenotification postcard, (2) mailing the survey invitation in a larger envelope, and (3) including a small cash preincentive ($2). Evaluation of these strategies yielded mixed results in this population. Neither the prenotification postcard nor inclusion of a $2 cash preincentive significantly increased response rates. However, use of a larger envelope to mail the survey invitation significantly increased the response rate by 53.1%. Researchers interested in collecting patient-reported outcomes among military populations, including those with combat-related injuries, may find that increasing the visibility of recruitment materials is more effective for improving response rates than attempting to cognitively prime or offer prospective participants preincentives.<br><br>© Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2019. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0026-4075",
doi="10.1093/milmed/usy374",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usy374"
}