pink-book

Follow these steps to conduct a survey:
1. Plan the study
2. Determine how the sample will be
obtained and contacted
3. Develop and pretest the questionnaire
4. Collect the data
5. Analyze results
Sampling size and composition,
questionnaire design, and analysis of
quantitative data are complex topics beyond
the scope of this book. If you are planning
a quantitative study, see the reference list
at the end of this book for
additional information.
Additional Research Methods
Gatekeeper Reviews
Public and patient education materials are
often routed to their intended audiences
through health professionals or other
individuals or organizations that can
communicate with these audiences for you.
These intermediaries act as gatekeepers,
controlling the distribution channels that
reach your intended audiences. Their
approval or disapproval of materials can be
a critical factor in your program’s success. If
they do not like a poster or a booklet or do
not believe it to be credible or scientifically
accurate, it may never reach your
intended audience.
Common Uses
Gatekeeper review of rough materials is
important and should be considered part of
the pretesting process, although it is not a
substitute for pretesting materials with
intended audience members. Neither is it a
substitute for obtaining clearances or expert
review for technical accuracy; these should
be completed before pretesting is
undertaken. Sometimes, telling gatekeepers
that technical experts have reviewed the
material for accuracy will reassure them and
may speed their approval of your material.
Methodology
The methodology you should use for
gatekeeper review depends upon your
available resources, time, and budget.
Common methods include:
• Self-administered questionnaires—
Participants are sent the materials and the
questionnaire at the same time.
• Interviewer-administered questionnaires—
Typically, an appointment for the interview
is scheduled with the gatekeeper, and the
materials are sent for review prior to
the interview.
Develop questionnaires that ask about
overall reactions to the materials and for
assessment of the information’s
appropriateness and usefulness.
In some cases, you might not use a formal
questionnaire (especially if you don’t think
the reviewer will take the time to fill it out)
but will instead schedule a telephone
conversation or a meeting about the
materials. If you are not using a
questionnaire, consider in advance what
kind of questions you want to ask in the
meeting or interview and determine whether
you need formal approval of the materials.
A discussion with gatekeepers (e.g., a
television public service director, the
executive director of a medical society) at
this point can also be used to solicit their
involvement in a variety of ways that extend
beyond materials development.
METHODS
Making Health Communication Programs Work 161