Evaluation of strategies for increasing response rates to postal questionnaires in quality control of nasal septal surgery.

Background: Postal questionnaires are often used to assess the results of nasal septoplasty, but response rates vary widely. This study assesses strategies designed to increase the response rate.

Methods: Postoperative questionnaires using visual analogue scales (VAS) for nasal obstruction were mailed to 160 consecutive patients alternately allocated to one of two groups.