A comparison of survey methods in studies of the nurse workforce.

Aim: To compare and contrast postal and internet surveys in studies of nurse workforces.

Background: There is little research that examines the advantages and disadvantages of different surveys in studies of nurse workforces.

Data Sources: Previous studies that used different approaches to disseminate surveys.

Discussion: There are advantages and disadvantages to using postal or internet surveys for nurse workforce studies.

Conclusion: Factors researchers may wish to consider in selecting survey methods include research topic, costs, coverage, timing and the characteristics of potential respondents.

Implications For Research/practice: Response rate, data quality and adequate coverage of the population being studied can be optimised if the researcher selects an appropriate survey method.