Attachment 5. Survey Cover Letters

Attachment 5

Survey Cover Letters

Primary Care First Mailing Cover Letter

CDC LETTERHEAD

Physician Name

Address 1

Address 2

City, State Zip

Dear :

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation to conduct the first-ever national survey on primary care physicians’ attitudes and practices related to prostate cancer screening. The survey findings will guide CDC and other organizations that develop clinical training materials, physician decision support tools, and materials physicians use to manage, counsel and educate patients regarding prostate cancer and PSA screening.

Using random sampling, your name was selected as a representative of physicians in your specialty, geographic area, and practice setting. We need the response of every physician in the sample to make this important study valid, influential and representative of the diverse practice styles of physicians in the United States. The input of practicing physicians like you is especially important. We realize your time is valuable, as are your experience and opinions, so we have enclosed $40 as a partial reimbursement of your time.

Your opinions will be compiled with those of other physicians across the nation and your responses will be treated in a secure manner as described in the information statement. Of course, your participation is voluntary, and you may choose to withdraw from the survey at any time. If you choose not to participate, this would have no adverse consequences to you, your practice or your patients.

After you complete the survey, please also fill in the top of the enclosed postcard and mail it separately from the survey. If you cannot or choose not to complete the survey, please take a few seconds to fill in the bottom of the postcard explaining why you cannot participate, and mail it to us.

The survey cover explains the study further so you understand what your participation will involve. If you have any questions, please call Patricia Lesho at (800) 777-6115. If you have concerns about your rights in this research study, contact the CDC Human Research Protection Office at 1-800-584-8814.

If you agree to participate, please complete the enclosed questionnaire. We hope you will help us with this important study.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Ingrid J. Hall, PhD, MPH, Epidemiologist Lisa Richardson, MD, MPH, Medical Officer

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Division of Cancer Prevention and Control

Epidemiology and Applied Sciences Branch Epidemiology and Applied Sciences Branch

Primary Care Second Mailing Cover Letter

CDC LETTERHEAD

Physician Name

Address 1

Address 2

City, State Zip

Dear :

Last month we wrote requesting your participation in the first national survey of physicians’ attitudes and practices related to prostate cancer screening. The survey findings will guide CDC and other organizations that develop clinical training materials, physician decision support tools, and materials physicians use to manage, counsel and educate patients regarding prostate cancer and PSA screening.

We sent a questionnaire and a payment of $40 as a partial reimbursement of your valuable time and essential input. Our records show that you have not returned your completed survey form. If you have already completed and returned your questionnaire, we thank you for your time and participation and ask you to disregard the enclosed questionnaire.

If you have not yet returned the questionnaire, please do so now. Every physician sampled for our study has valuable opinions to contribute. For true national representation, it is essential that we have your response. Again, your opinions will be compiled with those of other physicians across the nation and your responses will be treated in a secure manner, as described in the survey cover.

In the event that your questionnaire has been misplaced, a replacement form and another return envelope have been enclosed for your convenience. After you complete the survey, please also fill in the top of the enclosed postcard and mail it separately from the survey. If you cannot or choose not to complete the survey, please take a few seconds to fill in the bottom of the postcard explaining why you cannot participate, and mail it to us.

If you have any questions about the study, please call Patricia Lesho at (800) 777-6115. If you choose not to participate in this study, you may call the toll-free number and request that your name be removed from our list for subsequent mailings. If you have concerns about your rights in this research study, contact the CDC Human Research Protection Office at 1-800-584-8814.

Thank you for your time and interest.

Sincerely,

Ingrid J. Hall, PhD, MPH, Epidemiologist Lisa Richardson, MD, MPH, Medical Officer

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Division of Cancer Prevention and Control

Epidemiology and Applied Sciences Branch Epidemiology and Applied Sciences Branch

Primary Care Third Mailing Cover Letter

CDC LETTERHEAD

Physician Name

Address 1

Address 2

City, State Zip

Dear :

Recently you were sent several mailings inviting you to participate in a CDC-sponsored national survey on physicians’ attitudes and practices related to prostate cancer screening. The survey presents a unique opportunity for your opinions and experience to guide CDC and other organizations that develop clinical training materials, physician decision support tools, and materials physicians use to manage, counsel and educate patients regarding prostate cancer and PSA screening.

Our records still indicate that you have not returned your completed survey form. We sent you a $40 payment as a partial reimbursement of your time and expertise. If you were too busy to respond in the past few weeks, could you please make an attempt now to complete the enclosed questionnaire?

In the event that your questionnaire has been misplaced, a replacement form and another return envelope are enclosed for your convenience. If your completed form has crossed in the mail with this request, we thank you for your response. After you complete the survey, please also fill in the top of the enclosed postcard and mail it separately from the survey. If you cannot or choose not to complete the survey, please take a few seconds to fill in the bottom of the postcard explaining why you cannot participate, and mail it to us.

If you have any questions about the study, please call Patricia Lesho at (800) 777-6115. If you have concerns about your rights in this research study, contact the CDC Human Research Protection Office at 1-800-584-8814.

Your time and cooperation are greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Ingrid J. Hall, PhD, MPH, Epidemiologist Lisa Richardson, MD, MPH, Medical Officer

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Division of Cancer Prevention and Control

Epidemiology and Applied Sciences Branch Epidemiology and Applied Sciences Branch

Primary Care Final Mailing Cover Letter

CDC LETTERHEAD

Physician Name

Address 1

Address 2

City, State Zip

Dear :

This is our last appeal to you as a practicing physician!

In previous mailings you may have received one of our surveys for a study sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). You might have missed it because of vacation, or because you were busy covering for absent colleagues. We are now giving you the opportunity to respond if you did not get the chance previously.

The majority of physicians responded to the survey about their attitudes and practices related to prostate cancer screening. However, fewer physicians in your specialty have responded than we expected. You were randomly selected specifically as a representative of your specialty to complete the survey. We are making this last appeal to you to represent your specialty. Please take the time to complete the enclosed survey and return it to us. After you complete the survey, please also fill in the top of the enclosed postcard and mail it separately from the survey. If you cannot or choose not to complete the survey, please take a few seconds to fill in the bottom of the postcard explaining why you cannot participate, and mail it to us.

CDC is seeking a better understanding of the opinions and practices of physicians like you to guide development of national training materials, clinical decision support tools, and materials physicians can use to manage, counsel and educate their patients regarding prostate cancer and PSA screening. We need the input of practicing physicians like you. We need your response in order to have a statistically valid sample that reflects the diverse practice styles of physicians in the United States. It is important because with your response we will be able to more accurately characterize the practices of physicians just like you. Without your response, it becomes more difficult to describe what physicians do in their practices. We are inviting you to take this opportunity to represent your specialty.

Your responses will be compiled with those of other physicians across the nation. Your responses will be treated in a secure manner, as described in the survey cover. CDC plans to publish only aggregate summaries of information. The enclosed material explains the study further and provides for your informed consent. If you have any questions about the study, please call Patricia Lesho at (800) 777-6115. If you have concerns about your rights in this research study, contact the CDC Human Research Protection Office at 1-800-584-8814.

We hope you will respond to the survey and help us with this important study. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Ingrid J. Hall, PhD, MPH, Epidemiologist Lisa Richardson, MD, MPH, Medical Officer

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Division of Cancer Prevention and Control

Epidemiology and Applied Sciences Branch Epidemiology and Applied Sciences Branch