Table 1 Examples of patient contributors’ feedback and the associated changes to the questionnaire
From: Patient involvement in questionnaire design: tackling response error and burden
Identified in | Example of | Feedback given | Changes made |
|---|---|---|---|
TAT | Response error | In the medication adherence literature, “concerns” refer to medication-related negative effects [10]. However, patient contributors interpreted the item “I am concerned about my preventer inhaler” as “I care about my preventer inhaler”. | The item wording was changed to “I am worried about taking my preventer inhaler”. |
Follow-up discussion | External factors | The questionnaire was designed for completion in a general practice waiting room. While patient contributors felt that the instructions on the questionnaire were clear, they noted that elements of the waiting rooms (e.g. ambient noise or waiting to be called in) may distract respondents from reading the instructions thoroughly. | The questionnaire instructions were shortened and illustrations were added to provide crucial information in a single glance. |