Effect of UK national guidelines on services to treat patients with acute low back pain: follow up questionnaire survey.

Likewise, after considering the various background characteristics that they could use to prioritise in favour of or against, people are more reluctant to make clearcut decisions—not because they think that choices in health care do not have to be made, but because they recognise that the choices are complicated ones. There is some evidence that surveys, which largely elicit people’s initial reactions, and focus groups, which aim to elicit more considered opinions, generate similar results. 10 The findings reported here suggest otherwise. This leaves a puzzle for future research, but if the within-subject results reported here are found to be generalisable, and if the considered opinions of the general public are required, then doubt is cast on the value of surveys that do not allow respondents the time or opportunity to reflect on their responses.