Survey Research: A Primer for the Academic Radiologist

Abstract

Survey research is appealing to many clinical researchers, including radiologists. Emerging interest in patient preferences and patient-centered outcomes related to imaging likely will stimulate additional use of questionnaires in our field. However, like other quantitative methods, survey-based research requires meticulous planning, execution, and analysis to generate reliable results and support meaningful conclusions. The purpose of this review is to provide a guideline for radiologists embarking on this type of research, with attention to questionnaire design, sampling, survey administration, and analysis.

Keywords: Survey research; questionnaire; research design; research methods; survey.