When questionnaire response rates do matter: a survey of general practitioners and their views of NHS changes

This paper investigates whether general practitioners (GPs) who do not part icipate in questionnaire surveys (nonresponders) hold different views on pa rticipation in primary care reorganisation than their more compliant collea gues. A survey of 72 GPs' involvement in a pilot primary care prescribing g roup elicited an initial response of 74%. Nonresponders were then approache d personally and persuaded to complete the questionnaire. Comparison of the responders and the non-responders showed that the latter did differ signif icantly from the responders in many of their views. This difference needs t o be considered whenever the results of surveys are used to guide policy-ma king in the more corporate model of primary care that is now emerging.