Readers give FP Report high marks on recent survey
BY PAULA BINDER
Why do you read FP Report? If you're
like most AAFP members, you want news about the specialty and about AAFP's
advocacy efforts in Washington. You want analysis -- of news affecting your
practice and trends influencing the specialty. Finally, you want to know what
AAFP is doing on your behalf, in addition to its advocacy in Washington.
The most recent FP Report reader survey, conducted earlier this
year, gave us this information -- and more:
- Most respondents felt FP Report had improved or greatly
improved in two of those high-interest areas -- coverage of news about the
specialty and analysis of trends influencing the specialty -- in the past year.
- Respondents who receive the printed FP Report gave it high
marks for appearance and ease of reading. We were thrilled that an increasing
number read FP Report from cover to cover (23 percent); another 47
percent read page-one "highlights" and selected articles. Print recipients also
preferred having most of FP Report's contents in the printed version,
with just a small amount of online-only content.
- While few members have chosen to receive FP Report's
e-mailed table of contents with links to the online issue in place of the
printed FP Report, these members were represented in the survey. Results
showed that this group rated the e-table of contents highly and clicked on
either a few links (50 percent) or many/all links (46 percent) to FP Report
Online.
- FP Report serves as a catalyst to action. Nearly 30 percent
of survey respondents reported answering a legislative or regulatory "call to
action" in the newspaper. In addition, 42 percent said they had logged on to
the Academy's Web site for more information as a result of reading FP
Report.
- Respondents also rated highly FP Report's occasional Special
Sections, which provide in-depth coverage of key topics. Ninety percent
reported reading Special Sections regularly or occasionally.
Results gleaned from the survey are helping us in the most important
endeavor of all: fine-tuning AAFP's news reporting to better meet your needs.
To reach writer Paula Binder, e-mail
pbinder@aafp.org.
FP Report is published by the
AAFP News Department.
Copyright © 2004 by
American Academy of Family Physicians.
