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Purpose <p>Pain questionnaires are widely used in healthcare; however, response rates—particularly for electronic surveys—are often low and difficult to improve without significant resources. This study aimed to analyze and identify strategies to boost response rates to electronic pain questionnaires distributed prior to first-time consultations for patients with low-back pathologies.</p> Methods <p>Between June 2023 and June 2024, referred patients were invited to complete an electronic low-back pain questionnaire before their first neurosurgical consultation. Implementation occurred in three stages: email-only (period 1), with an added notice in the appointment letter (period 2), and with a supplementary informational flyer (period 3). Non-respondents were offered the option to complete the questionnaire at the day of the consultation on a hospital-provided tablet-computer or on paper. Patient demographics, response timing and mode, age-related differences, and potential language barriers were assessed.</p> Results <p>Of 1017 patients contacted, 665 responses were eligible for analysis. The overall at-home response rate was 54% (<i>n</i> = 359), increasing significantly from 43% in period 1 to 56% in period 3 (<i>p</i> = 0.027). Of the remaining 306 patients, 226 (40%) were willing to answer the questionnaires by providing a tablet-computer at the day of consultation. Response patterns differed significantly across age groups (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) – youngest (age &lt; 51 years), oldest (age &gt; 76 years) and patients with a migration background were less likely to complete the questionnaire.</p> Conclusion <p>At-home electronic questionnaire response rates can be significantly boosted for pre-consultation pain assessments when supported by targeted interventions. Response rates are affected by age, migration status, language proficiency, and digital access. With a hospital provided tablet-computer based backup, 40% of patients who initially did not respond at home were able to complete the questionnaire at the hospital prior to consultation.</p>

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Bridging the digital divide: increasing response rates to electronic pain questionnaires in outpatient neurosurgery

  • 期刊论文

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月16日

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  • Julia Mahler,
  • Michel Schläppi,
  • Esther Buenzli,
  • Marc-Eric Halatsch,
  • Alex Alfieri,
  • Daniel Schöni

摘要

Purpose

Pain questionnaires are widely used in healthcare; however, response rates—particularly for electronic surveys—are often low and difficult to improve without significant resources. This study aimed to analyze and identify strategies to boost response rates to electronic pain questionnaires distributed prior to first-time consultations for patients with low-back pathologies.

Methods

Between June 2023 and June 2024, referred patients were invited to complete an electronic low-back pain questionnaire before their first neurosurgical consultation. Implementation occurred in three stages: email-only (period 1), with an added notice in the appointment letter (period 2), and with a supplementary informational flyer (period 3). Non-respondents were offered the option to complete the questionnaire at the day of the consultation on a hospital-provided tablet-computer or on paper. Patient demographics, response timing and mode, age-related differences, and potential language barriers were assessed.

Results

Of 1017 patients contacted, 665 responses were eligible for analysis. The overall at-home response rate was 54% (n = 359), increasing significantly from 43% in period 1 to 56% in period 3 (p = 0.027). Of the remaining 306 patients, 226 (40%) were willing to answer the questionnaires by providing a tablet-computer at the day of consultation. Response patterns differed significantly across age groups (p < 0.001) – youngest (age < 51 years), oldest (age > 76 years) and patients with a migration background were less likely to complete the questionnaire.

Conclusion

At-home electronic questionnaire response rates can be significantly boosted for pre-consultation pain assessments when supported by targeted interventions. Response rates are affected by age, migration status, language proficiency, and digital access. With a hospital provided tablet-computer based backup, 40% of patients who initially did not respond at home were able to complete the questionnaire at the hospital prior to consultation.