Multi Modal Approach: GP patient survey

GP patient survey: Your Doctor, Your Experience, Your Say

Objectives: The GP patient survey, 'Your Doctor, Your Experience, Your Say' was conducted for the Department of Health, to collect information to reward GP practice according to performance on elements of access and choice. In the 2007 study, we ran two separate surveys ran for the first time. Over five million people registered at GP practices were asked how easy or difficult it is to see or speak to a doctor at their practice; and over a quarter of a million people who were referred to hospital by their GP were asked questions on choice of hospital for their appointment. This is the largest ever survey of its kind to have been carried out.

Methodology: The GP patient survey was essentially a quantitative postal survey with questionnaires being sent to around 5.2 million patients in January 2007. Patients also had the opportunity to complete the survey online or by telephone via CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing).

The online option allowed patients to log into the GPPS website and complete the survey using a unique password created for each patient printed on the back page of the questionnaire. The site was fully compatible with W3C standards to make it accessible for people with disabilities. Users with visual impairments could use screen reader software, and it was possible to change the font size of the text. It was available in a number of languages including English, Arabic, Bengali, French, Gujarati, Polish, Portuguese and Punjabi.

Outcome: Ipsos MORI received respones from 2,295,987 people with over 27,186 choosing to complete the survey online. It gathered a wealth of information and results were made available at a national level, for each GP practice, for each primary care trust, and for patients. The project was a great success in combining offline and online techniques.

For further infomation see the GP Patient Survey Website