GPs' Perspectives on Open Notes Survey

We conducted an anonymous nationwide web-based survey of GPs in England (n=400; Multimedia Appendix 1). We used a convenience sample to solicit the opinions of participants using the membership of the clinician marketing service Doctors.net.uk [38 ]. This is the largest web-based medical network in the United Kingdom, with 248,326 (69.9%) registered doctors out of a total of 355,250 British doctors. Approximately, 21,250 (57.82%) GPs out of a total of 36,752 registered and working in the United Kingdom are active in the community during any 90-day period. Among those registered with Doctors.net.uk, a variable percentage of GPs active within the community also consented to being sent survey invitations via email. Depending on how GPs consented to receive survey invitations, our study was advertised via email or displayed on the Doctors.net.uk home pages of a quota sample of GPs between March 10 and 31, 2022. The sample was stratified according to sex, age, and geographic location using demographic information about registered GPs in England provided by the General Medical Council (GMC) in March 2022 [39 ]. Doctors.net.uk invited 720 GPs by email and also by invitations embedded in their Doctors.net.uk home pages; a further 2072 GPs were invited to participate only via links on their home pages. We obtained samples from Doctors.net.uk in previous studies using similar methods [40 (link),41 (link)].
The study team adapted a mixed methods survey instrument originally developed to explore US primary care physicians’ views and experiences with open notes [24 (link)]. This survey was adapted in consultation with GPs in England and piloted with GP colleagues in the United Kingdom (n=5) to ensure face validity. The survey was timed to take approximately 5 minutes to complete.