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Die Verfasser berichten über ein Projekt, bei dem es um die Rolle von Briefen mit Vorabinformationen bei größeren staatlichen Umfrageaktionen geht. Kognitive Interviews zeigten, dass in der Regel kurze Briefe favorisiert werden. In einem solchen Brief sollten das Ziel der Untersuchung, der Name der durchführenden Organisation, eine einfach formulierte Zusicherung von Vertraulichkeit sowie Details über den Besuch des Interviewers und den Umgang mit den Untersuchungsergebnissen enthalten sein. Auch die Einschätzung der Interviewer wurde erhoben. Auf dieser Basis wurde die Vorabinformation neu formuliert. Im Rahmen des Family Resources Survey wurden drei Gruppen gebildet, von denen eine das ursprüngliche Anschreiben, eine das neue Anschreiben und eine das neue Anschreiben mit zusätzlichem Flugblatt erhielt. Verglichen mit dem Original war das Antwortverhalten bei den Empfängern des neuen Anschreibens leicht verbessert, während sich bei der dritten Gruppe keine Änderung gegenüber den Empfängern des Originals ergab. (ICEÜbers), "This paper reports the latest results in a project examining the role of the advance letter in major government surveys. Results of cognitive interviews with members of the public showed that subjects preferred short letters. They wanted the letter to include the purpose of the survey, the name of the survey organisation, a simple statement about confidentiality, details of the interviewer's visit, and post survey results. Interviewers' views were sought using focus groups. Results from these stages were used to redesign the advance letters of the surveys. A three way split sample experiment was carried out on the Family Resources Survey, original letter versus new letter versus new letter plus leaflet. Preliminary results showed that response rates were slightly higher for the new letter compared to the original, but the new letter plus the leaflet did not show much of an increase an the original." (author's abstract)

Agustin L Gonzalez, Rakesh Lakhani, Nikki Bennett, Clarissa De Paz School of Optometry, InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico, Bayamon, Puerto Rico Abstract: The traditional role of optometry has been the performance of refractions with the intent to correct vision disorders. In the US, optometry accounts for over two thirds of eye care-related visits. Optometrists have had the privilege of prescribing medications for many years and have been known to manage eye diseases. With no quantitative data known about optometrists’ involvement in managing diseases of the eye, this study describes the trend of ophthalmic drug prescription-writing by optometrists in the US over a 12 quarter period (comprising a 3 year period). Keywords: prescription pattern, optometry, pharmaceutical utilization, ophthalmic medications

Agustin L Gonzalez, Nikki Bennett, Rakesh Lakhani Inter American University, School of Optometry, Bayamón, Puerto Rico Abstract: Optometry is recognized as a primary care profession within the health care system. For years, much emphasis has been placed on the core function of optometrists as prescribers for refractive correction, yet little is known about their medication prescribing habits. Optometrists have had the ability to prescribe medications for the last 30 years, and still little information is available about optometric pharmaceutical trends. This study consists of a survey aimed at obtaining self-reported data to depict optometrists' likelihood of prescribing ophthalmic medications during a regular clinic day. We conclude that optometrists are indeed using medications in their clinics, and the trends are very similar to the epidemiological distribution of eye disorders in the general population. Keywords: optometry, prescription drug audit, pharmacoepidemiology