Physicians’ knowledge toward antibiotic prescribing and antimicrobial resistance: a pilot study to compare web-based vs paper-based questionnaire

Abstract

Backgound and Objectives: Considering the role of antibiotic prescription on the development of antimicrobial resistances, the aim of this study was to assess the reproducibility and the internal consistence of one questionnaire in web and paper versions, designed to study physicians’ knowledge about antibiotic use. Methods: It was developed an observational pilot study for questionnaire evaluation (test-retest) in the Grouping of Primary Care Facilities Grande Porto – II Gondomar, Portugal, which included 81 General Practitioners. The reproducibility and internal consistence were calculated, respectively, by Intraclass Correlation Coeffi cient and Cronbach’s alpha. Results: Response rate was higher for web-based than paper version questionnaire [57% (paper); 44% (online)]. Internal consistence (Cronbach’s alpha) of questionnaire, were satisfactory for both versions of the questionnaire [0,899 (online version); 0,770 (paper version)]. The results of Intraclass Correlation Coeffi cients were close for both versions of the questionnaire. Conclusions: Despite the results of both versions being close, the use of web-based questionnaires demands a deep analysis of its intrinsic limitations as a tool of data collection, namely because of the lower response rates or nonresponse bias.