The Current Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of the Neglected Methodology of Web-Based Questionnaires Among Chinese Health Workers: Web-Based Questionnaire Study

Abstract

Background Web-based questionnaire (WBQ) surveys are popular, but the quality of reporting WBQ survey research is uneven and unsatisfactory worldwide. Education and training on WBQ methodology may be necessary. However, the current knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of its methodology remain unknown. Objective We investigated the KAP of WBQ methodology among Chinese health workers for the first time to clarify the possible reasons for the unsatisfactory reporting quality of WBQ survey research from China’s experience, aiming to provide a basis for improvement. Methods We developed a structured WBQ based on the current recommendations and knowledge and investigated 458 health workers from June 7 to July 6, 2022. A total of 381 valid questionnaires were analyzed after data processing. We defined 50% and 75% as “qualified” and “satisfactory” in knowledge and practice topics to describe the results and analyzed the basic characteristics of the participants who had difficulties in conducting WBQ survey research. Results A total of 215 (56.4%) participants had used WBQs for investigation, mostly more than 2 times (88.3%), but only 95 (44.2%) of them had ever received methodological training. A total of 134 (62.3%) users believed that WBQs were practical, but 126 (58.6%) had doubts about the reliability of the results. Most of the knowledge and practice topics did not reach a satisfactory level, and some even did not reach a qualified level. A total of 95 (44.2%)-136 (63.3%) of the users had reported difficulties in conducting WBQ survey research, and different participants could have different difficulties according to their characteristics. In addition, 191 (88.8%) users believed training was necessary. Conclusions We found that Chinese health workers seriously underestimated and neglected the importance of the WBQ methodology, which may be an important reason for the reduced reporting quality of WBQ survey research. Medical educators need to strengthen methodological training on WBQs, which may help to improve the quality of WBQ survey research.

Influence of the use of social media on patients changing dental practice: a web-based questionnaire study

“…When using Microsoft Forms, it is difficult to prevent this. However, in a previous study [ 36 ] only 0.9% (4/458) of respondents were found to have done so.…”

A Web-Based Instrument for Infantile Atopic Dermatitis Identification (Electronic Version of the Modified Child Eczema Questionnaire): Development and Implementation

“…Thus, the WBQ in phase 1 consisted of 7 questions (the eCEQ), whereas the WBQ in phase 2 consisted of 46 questions on 5 pages (notably, in addition to the basic information—such as age, sex, caregivers’ awareness of possible AD, etc—and the eCEQ, we collected additional information about family environment and health behaviors, which was part of another study and is not included in this paper). In addition, we set 1 repeated question about caregivers at the beginning and end and 1 self-evaluation question about the response quality to evaluate the reliability of the responses according to our previous studies [ 15 , 32 ].…”

“…The collected data were directly exported as a Microsoft Excel file and double checked for potential duplicate responses (if data such as device ID, IP address, and children’s basic information were all duplicated), data reliability, age, and disease conditions (autoimmune disease, immunodeficiency disease, severe malnutrition, etc) with methods described previously [ 15 , 32 ].…”

“…The questionnaires were developed through Wenjuan.com (a free professional WBQ platform) [28] and accessed by scanning the QR code using WeChat or other social media apps through smartphones. Considering the importance of WBQ methodology, the design, word expression, privacy protection, and data security were all based on the CHERRIES checklist (Multimedia Appendix 1) [19], the existing recommendations [12,[29][30][31], and our current knowledge [15,32]. We collected the basic information (age and sex) of the participants through the hospital information system in phase 1, and more information was collected from the participants' self-report in phase 2.…”