A survey of surveys: an evaluation of the quality of published surveys in neurosurgery.

PURPOSE: Surveys generate valuable data in epidemiologic and qualitative clinical research. The quality of a survey depends on its design, the number of responses it receives, and the reporting of the results. In this study, we aimed to assess the quality of surveys in neurosurgery. METHODS: Neurosurgical surveys published between 2000 and 2020 (inclusive) were identified from PubMed. Various datapoints regarding the surveys were collated. The number of citations received by the papers was determined from Google Scholar. A 6-dimensional quality assessment tool was applied to the surveys. Parameters from this tool were combined with the number of responses received to create the survey quality score (SQS). RESULTS: A total of 618 surveys were included for analysis. The target sample size correlated with the number of responses received. The response rate correlated positively with the target sample size and the number of reminders sent and negatively with the number of questions in the survey. The median number of authors on neurosurgery survey papers was 6. The number of authors correlated with the SQS and the number of citations received by published survey papers. The median normalized SQS for neurosurgical surveys was 65%. The nSQS independently predicted the citations received per year by surveys. CONCLUSIONS: The modifiable factors that correlated with improvements in survey design were optimizing the number of questions, maximizing the target sample size, and incorporating reminders in the survey design. Increasing the number of contributing authors led to improvements in survey quality. The SQS was validated and correlated well with the citations received by surveys.

Myths, beliefs, and attitude toward cancer among the family caregivers of cancer patients: A community-based, mixed-method study in rural Tamil Nadu.

Background and Aim: Family support is one of the most crucial components of cancer care. The familial beliefs and myths associated with cancer can seriously affect the quality of life and treatment outcome of cancer patients. This study intends to explore the prevailing myths, beliefs, and attitude toward cancer among the family caregivers of cancer patients. Materials and Methods: A community-based, exploratory, mixed-method study was conducted among family caregivers of cancer patients in Cuddalore and Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu. Content analysis method was used for in-depth interviews. Sociodemographic characteristics and attitude of the study participants were described using proportions. Results: A common myth about causation of cancer was that it was contagious or of infective origin. Disbelief in tobacco's causation of cancer was found among the study participants. Family members' support was viewed as an essential component for cancer patients. Majority of the participants in the quantitative survey showed favorable attitude toward cancer patients. The common misconception about cancer treatment was that surgery/biopsy can spread cancer and herbal products can cure cancer. Conclusion: Even though a majority of the participants showed favorable attitude toward their cancer patients, false beliefs and myths regarding causation and treatment of cancer are prevalent in the community.