Case Study 10 - A flexible multi-wave project among a sample of 400 fresh GPs per study

The British Medical Association (BMA) needed to research the shifting opinions of UK GPs towards the new national GMS contract and to assess the direction of the vote prior to deciding whether to have a national ballot in 2003.

The study was undertaken using Medix nationally representative panel of GPs and utilising the unique research and analysis software. The study contained 25 questions exploring all elements of the GMS contract, with several secondary questions within. The project consisted of 5 questionnaires over a 2 month period before the official ballot and each consisting of 400 free-found, nationally located UK GPs.

The results were fully transparent complete with respondent demographics, indicating a representative sample for every survey. Results were presented in tabulated format and freetext verbatim responses. The sample size gave very reliable quantitative data and the honest free-text responses presented in depth qualitative information.

Research and fieldwork flexibility was essential to the BMA. Results were often delivered at extremely short notice, and also following modifications to the questionnaire. The average time of the fieldwork phase was just over 18 hours and complete results delivered in just a matter of hours following fieldwork completion.

An excellent quality of responses was obtained for each of the 5 studies, giving essential information towards every aspect of the contract, changing opinion patterns and finally a conclusive indication as to the result of the vote, which led the BMA to commit to the ballot.

(Medix undertook its own research in conjunction with the actual vote on the new GMS contract in June 2003. The research, among a nationally representative sample of 500 GPs was completed within a 24-hour period, just prior to the official result announced by the BMA. The Medix result was within 1% of the actual result, demonstrating the unparalleled accuracy of Medix delivering high quality research results.)