KEYWORDS:
NIS

BACKGROUND:
The National Immunization Survey (NIS) is a random-digit-dialing survey of households with young children conducted continuously on a quarterly basis in 50 states and 28 urban areas. The data from this survey are used to produce four-quarter estimates of vaccination coverage among children aged 19-35 months. The interview collects a brief immunization history for the selected child, household demographics, the names of the child's medical providers and consent to contact those providers. The NIS Provider Record Check Study (NIS-PRC) contacts those providers to obtain a complete immunization record for the child. The provider-reported immunization data are used to compute the estimates of vaccination coverage. The NIS-PRC is an unusual survey in that it relies on the same providers to complete multiple surveys for different children.

OBJECTIVE(S):
To analyze response rates by various characteristics of the provider, such as number of requests made to the provider and examine reasons for non-response from providers.

METHOD(S):
Data from the 2002 NIS production tracking system and survey responses will be analyzed.

RESULT(S):
Previous analyses have shown that the providers who receive only one request in a year have the lowest response rates. Other characteristics may be identified.

CONCLUSIONS(S):
The number of requests sent to a provider has significant impact on their response rate. We will discuss methods to ensure a high response rate from providers.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
To identify characteristics of non-responding providers in the NIS in order to develop targeted data collection procedures that maximize response rates.