Response Rate and Completeness Status of a Longitudinal Paper- and Web-Based Sleep Survey in a Single Center Study: Consequences for Clinical Practice Based on the Analysis of Influencing Factors

Patient-reported outcome surveys are important instruments in sleep disorder research and routine clinical management. While web-based surveys offer logistical advantages, they often suffer from lower response rates, and their comparability to paper-based surveys remains uncertain. This single center study examines response rates and data completeness between both formats in patients with sleep disorders. A total of 324 patients from the Sleep center at the University Hospital Dresden (2020–2023) completed baseline surveys and were assigned to a paper-based or web-based follow-up survey. Response rates and data completeness were analyzed. In this single center cohort, the paper-based survey had a significantly higher response rate than the web-based survey (58.7% vs. 32.3%), but lower data completeness (73.9% vs. 100%). The final number of fully completed surveys did not differ significantly between survey groups. Analyses show that older participants were less likely to complete the web-based survey and more likely to submit incomplete paper-based surveys. In the web-based group, women had higher response rates than men. These demographic differences must be taken into account when interpreting the survey results. Web-based surveys are a feasible option for patients with sleep disorders, producing results comparable to paper-based surveys in terms of data quality. However, our single center findings highlight the the need to account for non-response bias when using either survey modality. Non-response bias may impact the generalizability of survey findings, particularly when specific demographic segments are underrepresented.