Abstract
Surveys are an important research tool to evaluate the practice patterns of physicians.
In the medical literature, practice surveys are increasingly used in specialties,
such as pediatric surgery, characterized by the lack of sufficient evidence-based
literature due to the rarity of the conditions treated. To maintain a level that yields
to a meaningful scientific contribution the design, data collection and analysis of
the survey have to be rigorous. Herein, we describe the general principles of survey
methodology, we report the benefits and limitations of this statistical method, and
we discuss the value of surveys in pediatric surgery.
Keywords
survey - questionnaire - methodology - evidence based
