Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jun 23, 2025
Date Accepted: Mar 17, 2026
Mode effects between mobile web and telephone surveys on patient experience scores in South Korea: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial under various missingness scenarios
ABSTRACT
Background:
Patient experience surveys are essential tools for assessing healthcare quality, yet the potential influence of survey mode on patient experience scores remains understudied. This study investigates the mode effects between mobile web and telephone surveys within South Korea's Patient Experience Assessment.
Objective:
To examine the presence and extent of the mode effects of mobile web vs telephone surveys on patient experience scores, with focus on different assumptions on respondents and non-respondents.
Methods:
We utilized experimental data from a randomized controlled trial involving 3,200 patients from four general hospitals, equally allocated to telephone and mobile web survey modes. We calculated unadjusted score differences and estimated adjusted differences using inverse probability weighting (IPW) and multiple imputation (MI) under the Missing-at-Random (MAR) assumption. Sensitivity analyses, using the delta-adjustment method based on the Missing-Not-at-Random (MNAR) assumption, assessed robustness to departures from the MAR assumption. Subgroup analyses by gender, age group and field of care were also conducted.
Results:
The total patient experience score was significantly lower in the mobile web group than in the telephone group (unadjusted difference: –3.41 points, 95% CI: –5.51 to –1.31; IPW-adjusted: –4.11, 95% CI: –6.17 to –2.04; MI-adjusted: –4.59, 95% CI: –7.45 to –1.73). Similar patterns were observed across most subdomains. Subgroup analyses revealed consistent mode effects across different demographic categories. Sensitivity analyses using the delta-adjustment method confirmed the robustness of these findings under various missing data scenarios.
Conclusions:
Significant mode effects exist between mobile web and telephone surveys in patient experience assessment, with mobile surveys generally yielding lower scores. These differences persist across various analytical approaches and subgroups, highlighting the importance of considering survey mode when interpreting and comparing patient experience scores.
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