Abstract
BackgroundMany research projects in general practice face problems when recruiting patients, often resulting in low recruitment rates and an unknown selection bias, thus limiting their value for health services research. The objective of the study is to evaluate the recruitment performance of the practice staff in 25 participating general practices when using a clinical trial alert (CTA) tool.MethodsThe CTA tool was developed for an osteoporosis survey of patients at risk for osteoporosis and fractures. The tool used data from electronic patient records (EPRs) to automatically identify the population at risk (net sample), to apply eligibility criteria, to contact eligible patients, to enrol and survey at least 200 patients per practice. The effects of the CTA intervention were evaluated on the basis of recruitment efficiency and selection bias.ResultsThe CTA tool identified a net sample of 16,067 patients (range 162 to 1,316 per practice), of which the practice staff reviewed 5,161 (32%) cases for eligibility. They excluded 3,248 patients and contacted 1,913 patients. Of these, 1,526 patients (range 4 to 202 per practice) were successfully enrolled and surveyed. This made up 9% of the net sample and 80% of the patients contacted. Men and older patients were underrepresented in the study population.ConclusionAlthough the recruitment target was unreachable for most practices, the practice staff in the participating practices used the CTA tool successfully to identify, document and survey a large patient sample. The tool also helped the research team to precisely determine a slight selection bias.
Highlights
Many research projects in general practice face problems when recruiting patients, often resulting in low recruitment rates and an unknown selection bias, limiting their value for health services research
Participating practices Of 490 general practices invited for participation, 67 (13.7%) were interested in the study and wanted more information. Among this group of interested general practitioner (GP), 9 did not communicate further, 5 reported to have no time, 10 did not have an adequate Internet connection in their practice and 16 had to be excluded because the clinical trial tool was not yet programmed for the software systems used in these particular practices
The study focuses upon the recruitment efficiency of practice staff members who are alerted on their practice computer screen as soon as they open the electronic patient records (EPRs) of a possible study participant
Summary
Many research projects in general practice face problems when recruiting patients, often resulting in low recruitment rates and an unknown selection bias, limiting their value for health services research. Recruitment is a timeconsuming process which encompasses, besides others, identifying possible study participants, applying eligibility criteria, contacting eligible patients and eventually enrolling them in the study For this reason, clinical trials often restrict the participation of GPs and their staff to the identification and referral of possible patients, leaving the eligibility review and enrolment steps up to external study personnel [10,11,12,13,14,15,16]. Clinical trials often restrict the participation of GPs and their staff to the identification and referral of possible patients, leaving the eligibility review and enrolment steps up to external study personnel [10,11,12,13,14,15,16] Such strategies, interrupt the recruitment flow, exclude
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
