Quality of reporting web-based and non-web-based survey studies: what authors, reviewers and consumers should consider

ID: 

241

Session: 

Poster session 2

Date: 

Monday 17 September 2018 - 12:30 to 14:00

All authors in correct order:

Turk T1, Elhady MT2, Rashed S3, Abdelkhalek M4, Ahmed Nasef S5, Khallaf AM6, Tarek Mohammed A7, Wassef Attia A8, Adhikari P9, Alsabbahi Amin M10, Hirayama K11, Tien Huy N12
1 Faculty of Medicine, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria
2 Zagazig University Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Sharkia, Egypt
3 Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
4 Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt
5 Maternity and Children Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
6 Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
7 Faculty of Medicine, Alazhar University, Cairo, Egypt
8 Ain Shams University Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt
9 Gandaki Medical College, Pokhara, Nepal
10 Zagazig University Hospital, Department of Plastic Surgery, Sharkia, Egypt
11 Department of Immunogenetics, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
12 Evidence-Based Medicine Research Group and Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Presenting author and contact person

Presenting author:

Tarek Turk

Contact person:

Tarek Turk
Abstract text
Background:
Several influential aspects of survey research have been under-investigated and there is a lack of guidance on reporting survey studies, especially web-based projects.

Objectives:
In this review, we aim to investigate the reporting practices and quality of both web- and non-web-based survey studies to enhance the quality of reporting medical evidence that is derived from survey studies and to maximize the efficiency of its consumption.

Methods:
We assessed reporting practices and quality of 100 random web- and 100 random non-web-based articles published from 2004 to 2016 using the SUrvey Reporting GuidelinE (SURGE). We also used the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES) guideline to assess the reporting quality of web-based studies.

Results:
Our results revealed a potential gap in the reporting of many necessary checklist items in both web-based and non-web-based survey studies, including development, description and testing of the questionnaire, the advertisement and administration of the questionnaire, sample representativeness and response rates, incentives, informed consent, and methods of statistical analysis.

Conclusions:
Our findings confirm the presence of major discrepancies in reporting results of survey-based studies. This can be attributed to the lack of availability of updated universal checklists for quality of reporting standards.

Patient or healthcare consumer involvement:
We have summarized our findings in a table that may serve as a roadmap for future guidelines and checklists, which will hopefully include all types and all aspects of survey research.

Relevance to patients and consumers: 

We have summarized our findings in a table that may serve as a roadmap for future guidelines and checklists, which will hopefully include all types and all aspects of survey research.