Research Participant Recruitment Strategies Among Individuals with Acute Spinal Cord Injury and Their Caregivers: A Pre-Post Study.

Abstract

Pre-post study. To evaluate the efficiency of a series of recruitment strategies in a longitudinal study of individuals with SCI and their informal caregivers. Primary strategies included (a) rapport building in advance, (b) warm handoffs from another healthcare provider who already had a relationship with the potential participant, (c) ensuring the potential participant had information about the study prior to the initial contact by the research coordinator (RC), (d) attempting informed consent only when both the patient and informal caregiver were present, and (e) ensuring the RC had at least 30 minutes to explain the study when attempting recruitment. While a fairly large body of research has been conducted on general recruitment strategies for clinical trials, very little has examined the efficacy of these strategies within neurological conditions and almost none within SCI. Individuals with an acute SCI and their informal caregivers were recruited from acute spinal cord rehabilitation units with a Veteran's Affairs medical center and an academic medical center in the same urban area. Of 49 eligible dyads, 41 were approached for consent, with 27 consenting to join the study (9 from the academic medical center; 18 from the VA). There was a significant difference in enrollment rates after implementing the recruitment strategies, χ2(1) = 7.572, P = 0.006, with the per month participant enrollment rate nearly doubling after implementation. Using a multiteam and multidisciplinary approach to recruitment may increase the likelihood that individuals with an acute SCI and their caregivers enroll in research.Level of Evidence: 3.