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Survey Research Methodology

Surveys—from in-person to web-based, and discrete choice to stated preference—are an important means of collecting sociological, statistical, and demographic data. RAND has pioneered the use of surveys in several fields, including the development of the Delphi method of opinion gathering, and examined the statistical accuracy of various survey formats and web-based surveys.

Essay

A New Way to Capture the Patient Experience

Researchers have developed a more effective and reliable way for patients to provide narrative feedback about the care they receive. When the right questions are asked, patients' answers can help health care providers better understand the patient experience and learn how they could improve.

May 2, 2019
Tool

ExpertLens: An Online Approach to Stakeholder Engagement and Expert Elicitation

When making complex decisions, researchers and policymakers often seek the input of many stakeholders and individuals with varied perspectives. ExpertLens is an online application developed by research and programming experts at the RAND Corporation to help achieve these goals easily and cost effectively.

Apr 4, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

Level of Agreement on Health Information Technology Adoption and Use in Survey Data: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Ambulatory Clinics in 1 US State

Analyses of HIT survey findings should take into consideration the validity of the data used to develop estimates of prevalence and use.

Mar 22, 2019
Tool

Tool

Database of Literature on Disaster Surveys

The Consortium for Resilient Gulf Communities presents an overview of a literature review on the impacts of natural and man-made disasters in the United States and a corresponding database with the results from that review.

Mar 18, 2019
Report

Report

A Survey System to Assess Abuse and Misconduct Toward Air Force Students in Occupational Specialty Training

This report provides recommendations for how the Air Force's survey system for monitoring abuse and misconduct in Basic Military Training can best be adapted for use in technical training and flying training environments.

Mar 5, 2019
Report

Report

Patient and public involvement in research: Enabling meaningful contributions

This report looks at how to effectively involve patients and the public in health research.

Feb 14, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

Preparing For Local Adaptation: A Study of Community Understanding and Support

We surveyed 1385 Pittsburghers on: (1) beliefs and knowledge about stormwater, (2) drivers of events, (3) support for green and gray infrastructure, and (4) the factors that explain their support.

Nov 27, 2018
Multimedia

Prevention Outcomes Monitoring: Data Collection for Prevention Program Providers Webinar

Webinar of training guidance for data collectors and data entry personnel who will be using surveys to monitor prevention program outcomes.

Oct 22, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Business Angel Spotlight

This study was a survey of Business Angels (high net worth individuals) in the UK to understand the trends and drivers in the start-up market in 2017. RAND Europe provided policy inputs that informed the findings of the study.

Oct 18, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Measuring Subjective Probabilities: The Effect of Response Mode on the Use of Focal Responses, Validity, and Respondents' Evaluations

Improved measurement of people's probability judgments should benefit probability elicitation efforts relevant to risk analysis, decision making, and risk communication.

Sep 5, 2018
Article

Millennials Worry Less About National Security Than Baby Boomers Do—for Now

Millennials worry less than baby boomers about national security. But these views may have more to do with being young than being millennials.

Jun 14, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Development and Maintenance of Standardized Cross Setting Patient Assessment Data for Post-Acute Care: Summary Report of Findings from Alpha 2 Pilot Testing

Results of the Alpha 2 feasibility test, used to help develop standardized assessment-based data elements to meet the requirements of the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation(IMPACT) Act of 2014.

Jun 7, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Use of CAHPS Patient Experience Survey Data as Part of a Patient-Centered Medical Home Quality Improvement Initiative

Practice leaders at a large urban Federally Qualified Health Center in California. regularly engaged and used CAHPS scores, trends, and benchmarks alongside other data while making changes related to QI and patient centered medical homes

Mar 2, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Assessing Changes in Alcohol Use and Alcohol Use Disorder Prevalence in the United States: Evidence from National Surveys from 2002 Through 2014

Differences in epidemiological survey estimates can sometimes occur from seemingly minor method variations; these variations deserve special attention when increases or declines are seen in study populations.

Feb 15, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Validity of Self-Rated Memory Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Adults: Results From the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)

A self-rated memory survey item on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) performed poorly in comparison to objective measures of memory, signaling the need for caution in its use in survey research or primary care practice.

Dec 15, 2017
Report

Are Soldiers Getting What They Need?

In addition to typical household issues, U.S. military families deal with unique challenges, such as deployments and frequent moves. A survey of more than 7,000 active-duty soldiers provides insight into the problems they face, their needs, and the resources they use.

Oct 9, 2017
Report

Report

Feasibility of a Survey Panel of Criminal Justice Agencies: For Small, Rural, Tribal, and Border Law Enforcement, Courts, and Institutional and Community Corrections Agencies

RAND conducted a feasibility study to establish a survey panel of representatives of small, rural, tribal, and border criminal justice agencies. Such a panel would enable policymakers to collect up-to-date information on priorities and challenges.

Sep 1, 2017
Report

Report

The RAND American Life Panel: Technical Description

This document provides a detailed description of the RAND American Life Panel methodology related to sample recruitment, sample retention, and weighting and should be of use for users of the panel and as general reference material.

Jul 26, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

An Item Response Theory Approach to Estimating Survey Mode Effects: Analysis of Data from a Randomized Mode Experiment

Survey respondents assigned to an aural mode (e.g., telephone) more often endorse the first and especially the last item compared with those assigned to a visual mode (mail).

May 31, 2017
Report

Outcome Performance Measure Development for Persons with Multiple Chronic Conditions

This report summarizes analyses to assess the reliability and validity of the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12) metrics and patient-reported outcome performance measures.

Apr 12, 2017

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