Effective Recruitment Strategies Research Articles

Strategi Rekrutmen Pendidik dan Tenaga Kependidikan dalam Penempatan Kerja di MAN 2 Sijunjung

This article investigates various strategies used in the recruitment of educators and education personnel for effective job placement. This study used a qualitative approach with a descriptive method. The subjects of the study were selected using purposive sampling techniques. Data collection is carried out directly through observation and interviews. Data analysis is carried out qualitatively with stages of data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The results show that diverse approaches have been used by educational institutions and organizations to attract qualified individuals into these educational roles. An effective recruitment strategy is not just about finding academically qualified candidates, but also about considering the cultural fit and values of the organization. This article also discusses challenges in the recruitment of educators and education personnel, such as job market competition and changes in education trends. A holistic and continuous approach in the development of recruitment strategies that can adapt to the changing dynamics in the world of education and the job market. This research is in the form of interviews, literature studies, where the author collects data from various references such as books, and scientific articles.

Unveiling the power of word-of-mouth in pre-recruitment employer branding strategy during COVID-19

PurposeThis study, based on signaling theory, examines the pre-recruitment employer branding strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. It investigates the relationship between spontaneous word-of-mouth (WOM) recommendations for companies and prospective candidates' job application intentions. Specifically, the study explores serial mechanisms mediating the characteristics of company online career pages, including the perceived informativeness of online job advertisements (ads), candidates' preferences for its web approach to them and the company’s reputation.Design/methodology/approachReflecting prospective candidates from students and young alumni of universities, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed on a sample of 737 individuals representing various fields of study from Greek universities.FindingsThe findings highlight the effectiveness of positive WOM recommendations during the initial stages of recruitment, particularly amidst COVID-19 challenges in the labor market, notably impacting young candidates. The study suggests that spontaneous WOM, originating from trustful sources, motivates job seekers to actively engage with the company’s web career channels, seeking information and favorable indications of the company’s approach toward its candidates. Positive WOM, combined with informative content and a friendly communication style, plays a critical role in shaping the company’s reputation. Consequently, this encouragement motivates individuals to start their job search efforts and consider applying for positions within the specific organization.Practical implicationsThis research provides valuable empirical evidence in the pre-recruitment field, particularly in unforeseen crisis circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines how spontaneous, positive WOM from sources, like peers and alumni, significantly influences young job seekers' perceptions and preferences regarding the company’s career web channels as sources of information and signals about working conditions. The combination of positive WOM with informative content and a friendly communication style in the web approach plays a crucial role in shaping a positive company reputation. Consequently, this encourages candidates to consider applying for positions within the company.Originality/valueThis research contributes to pre-recruitment studies, especially amidst crises like COVID-19. It examines how positive WOM from trusted sources like peers and alma mater alumni influences young job seekers' views on the company’s career web channels. By emphasizing the importance of combining positive WOM with informative web content and a friendly communication style, the study offers insights into effective recruitment strategies. It highlights the significance of positive and spontaneous WOM in attracting young talent and its impact on job seekers' decision-making, even in uncertain conditions. Overall, it advances recruitment practices for attracting candidates.

Social Marketing Perspective on Participant Recruitment in Informatics-Based Intervention Studies.

Effective recruitment strategies are pivotal for informatics-based intervention trials success, particularly for people living with HIV (PLWH), where engagement can be challenging. Although informatics interventions are recognized for improving health outcomes, the effectiveness of their recruitment strategies remains unclear. We investigated the application of a social marketing framework in navigating the nuances of recruitment for informatics-based intervention trials for PLWH by examining participant experiences and perceptions. We used qualitative descriptive methodology to conduct semi-structured interviews with 90 research participants from four informatics-based intervention trials. Directed inductive and deductive content analyses were guided by Howcutt et al.'s social marketing framework on applying the decision-making process to research recruitment. The majority were male (86.7%), living in the Northeast United States (56%), and identified as Black (32%) or White (32%). Most participants (60%) completed the interview remotely. Sixteen subthemes emerged from five themes: motivation, perception, attitude formation, integration, and learning. Findings from our interview data suggest that concepts from Howcutt et al.'s framework informed participants' decisions to participate in an informatics-based intervention trial. We found that the participants' perceptions of trust in the research process were integral to the participants across the four trials. However, the recruitment approach and communication medium preferences varied between older and younger age groups. Social marketing framework can provide insight into improving the research recruitment process. Future work should delve into the complex interplay between the type of informatics-based interventions, trust in the research process, and communication preferences, and how these factors collectively influence participants' willingness to engage.

A systematic review of predictive blood donor retention models.

Demand for blood and blood products is increasing due to population growth, medical advances, and increased disease. Availability of a stable blood supply is critical for healthcare organizations and requires effective donor recruitment and retention strategies. This systematic review paper examines the development and implementation of predictive models using machine learning techniques to classify and predict blood donor retention rates. The aim is to analyze the existing literature and provide insights into the design, performance and potential of such models through a systematic search of relevant databases. The reviewed studies include a variety of machine learning approaches and algorithms used to predict blood donor retention rates. These models use various demographic, behavioral, and historical donation data to predict the likelihood of a donor returning to donate blood. The utilization of machine learning techniques, such as decision trees, logistic regression, support vector machines, and neural networks, enables accurate predictions and enable healthcare organizations to implement targeted donor retention interventions to increase blood supply. The models' predictive performance reveals their capacity to recognize donors who are not likely to return and donate blood and target retention strategies appropriately, improving donor engagement and fostering long-term commitment. Several challenges and limitations face the identified existing models. They include the need for comprehensive and high-quality data, interpretability of complex models as well as the requirement for regular model updates to accommodate changing donor behaviors. There is need for development of versatile and comprehensive models with improved accuracy that can reduce the need for constant recruitment of new donors, which is costly and time-consuming enabling blood agencies to accurately predict donor retention rates, inform donor retention strategies, and prioritize resources appropriately and ultimately saving lives.

Recruitment Strategies in the Integration of Mobile Health Into Sickle Cell Disease Care to Increase Hydroxyurea Utilization Study (meSH): Multicenter Survey Study.

Hydroxyurea is an evidence-based disease-modifying therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD) but is underutilized. The Integration of Mobile Health into Sickle Cell Disease Care to Increase Hydroxyurea Utilization (meSH) multicenter study leveraged mHealth to deliver targeted interventions to patients and providers. SCD studies often underenroll; and recruitment strategies in the SCD population are not widely studied. Unanticipated events can negatively impact enrollment, making it important to study strategies that ensure adequate study accrual. The goal of this study was to evaluate enrollment barriers and the impact of modified recruitment strategies among patients and providers in the meSH study in response to a global emergency. Recruitment was anticipated to last 2 months for providers and 6 months for patients. The recruitment strategies used with patients and providers, new recruitment strategies, and recruitment rates were captured and compared. To document recruitment adaptations and their reasons, study staff responsible for recruitment completed an open-ended 9-item questionnaire eliciting challenges to recruitment and strategies used. Themes were extrapolated using thematic content analysis. Total enrollment across the 7 sites included 89 providers and 293 patients. The study acceptance rate was 85.5% (382/447) for both patients and providers. The reasons patients declined participation were most frequently a lack of time and interest in research, while providers mostly declined because of self-perceived high levels of SCD expertise, believing they did not need the intervention. Initially, recruitment involved an in-person invitation to participate during clinic visits (patients), staff meetings (providers), or within the office (providers). We identified several important recruitment challenges, including (1) lack of interest in research, (2) lack of human resources, (3) unavailable physical space for recruitment activities, and (4) lack of documentation to verify eligibility. Adaptive strategies were crucial to alleviate enrollment disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These included remote approaching and consenting (eg, telehealth, email, and telephone) for patients and providers. Additionally, for patients, recruitment was enriched by simplification of enrollment procedures (eg, directly approaching patients without a referral from the provider) and a multitouch method (ie, warm introductions with flyers, texts, and patient portal messages). We found that patient recruitment rates were similar between in-person and adapted (virtual with multitouch) approaches (167/200, 83.5% and 126/143, 88.1%, respectively; P=.23). However, for providers, recruitment was significantly higher for in-person vs remote recruitment (48/50, 96% and 41/54, 76%, respectively, P<.001). We found that timely adaptation in recruitment strategies secured high recruitment rates using an assortment of enriched remote recruitment strategies. Flexibility in approach and reducing the burden of enrollment procedures for participants aided enrollment. It is important to continue identifying effective recruitment strategies in studies involving patients with SCD and their providers and the impact and navigation of recruitment challenges. ClinicalTrials.Gov NCT03380351; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03380351. RR2-10.2196/16319.

Is Effective Recruitment Strategy Critical to Assess Brain Cognitive Function of Super Agers in Rural West Texas.

Our commentary aims to elucidate the importance of participant recruitment strategy in healthy brain aging study, particularly in rural West Texas, where more than 50% of the population are Hispanics and Latinos. The objective of our health aging study is to investigate the possible influence of biological, sociodemographic, and lifestyle factors on the occurrence of chronic diseases and dementia in the aging populations of West Texas. The success of this initiative is, in large part, reliant on high-quality, effective recruitment of participants. To that end, we propose an increase in our strategic recruitment efforts for both healthy, cognitively superior agers as well as those with mild cognitive impairment and patients with Alzheimer's disease in rural west Texas. We discussed, multi-advertising approaches, including ads in the local newspapers, local TV Channels and poster boards in senior centers.

PERANCANGAN TALENT ACQUISITION DAN ONBOARDING PADA INDUSTRI MAKANAN DAN MINUMAN

This research explores the urgency of talent acquisition and onboarding in the food and beverage industry in the era of globalization and technology. The success of this industry relies on effective talent recruitment strategies to maintain competitiveness. The focus involves identifying individuals with technical skills. Onboarding is necessary for the swift integration of new employees with a deep understanding of the industry, food safety, and skill training. This strategy encompasses technical aspects, cultural values of the company, and adaptability to market changes. Using a descriptive analytical and qualitative approach, the study finds that this strategy not only supports short-term growth but also plays a key role in sustaining long-term competitiveness. The article provides practical insights for companies to design and implement effective talent acquisition and onboarding processes in this industry.

Integrating multi-national teams: over a decade of lessons learned in Chiapas with Partners in Health-Mexico.

In a globalized world where pathology and risk can flow freely across borders, the discipline of global health equity has proposed to meet this challenge with an equal exchange of solutions, and people working toward those solutions. Considering the history of colonialism, ongoing economic exploitation, and gaping inequities across and within countries, these efforts must be taken with care. The Partners In Health program in Chiapas, Mexico was founded in 2011 by a team of leaders from both the United States and Mexico to strengthen the public health and care delivery systems serving impoverished rural populations. Key to the strategy has been to marshal funding, knowledge, and expertise from elite institutions in both the United States and Mexico for the benefit of an area that previously had rarely seen such inputs, but always in close partnership with local leaders and community processes. With now over a decade of experience, several key lessons have emerged in both what was done well and what continues to present ongoing challenges. Top successes include: effective recruitment and retention strategies for attracting talented Mexican clinicians to perform their social service year in previously unappealing rural placements; using effective fund-raising strategies from multinational sources to ensure the health care delivered can be exemplary; and effectively integrating volunteer clinicians from high-income contexts in a way that benefits the local staff, the foreign visitors, and their home institutions. A few chief ongoing challenges remain: how to work with local communities to receive foreign visitors; how to hire, develop, and appropriately pay a diverse workforce that comes with differing expectations for their professional development; and how to embed research in non-extractive ways. Our community case study suggests that multinational global health teams can be successful if they share the goal of achieving mutual benefit through an equity lens, and are able to apply creativity and humility to form deep partnerships.

Establishing and Affirming Social Connections: Recruiting Non-Hispanic Black Adults with Type 2 Diabetes.

The underrepresentation of non-Hispanic Black adults in clinical research impacts the generalizability and usefulness of research findings. The purpose of this article is to discuss recruitment strategies used in a research study examining the self-care of diabetes and diabetes distress in non-Hispanic Black adults with type 2 diabetes. In this cross-sectional correlation study, the participants were non-Hispanic Black adults with type 2 diabetes living in North Carolina. A questionnaire collected sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. This study was analyzed using descriptive statistics. In total, 512 individuals accessed the online survey. After data screening, 275 participants were used for data analysis. Sixteen recruitment sites provided letters of support, and 13 were active in the recruitment process. Most participants learned about the research study via social media. Social connections resulting in recruitment partners and using social media supported the successful recruitment. The recruitment strategies implemented can inform researchers of effective evidence-based recruitment strategies to increase the participation of non-Hispanic Black adults in clinical research.

Establishment of Advanced Regulatory Innovation for Clinical Trials Transformation (ARICTT): a multi-stakeholder public-private partnership-based organization to accelerate the transformation of clinical trials.

Clinical trials have evolved with digital technologies and tend towards patient-centricity. A multi-stakeholder approach is needed to address the emerging complexities in clinical trials. In particular, the introduction of digital technologies and an emphasis on patient-centricity are the major trends in clinical trials. In response, we established a public-private partnership-based organization named Advanced Regulatory Innovation for Clinical Trials Transformation (ARICTT). Eleven organizations in total, from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies, participate in ARICTT. Based on multi-stakeholder collaboration from academia, industry, and government/regulatory bodies, we collected and prioritized current topics in clinical trials based on an internal survey. We established a three-year roadmap with axes that were termed trend, goal, structure, theme, topic, and method. In addition, we planned the development of recommendations based on real-world cases with feasibility studies. We developed appropriate organizational structure to fulfill the roadmap of ARICTT. The selected topics were decentralized clinical trials during the first year, followed by the three topics that were awarded the highest priority according to the internal survey: advances in the informed consent process, supporting sites using digital technology, and an effective recruitment strategy. We developed a case-based recommendation paper presenting an overview of the regulatory landscape and practical considerations with explanatory cases. We also designed and conducted fully decentralized trials to evaluate considerations in real-world settings for the selected topics. Overall engagement and communication were supported by the online platform and annual symposiums. In conclusion, we established a multi-stakeholder, public-private partnership-based organization to accelerate the transformation of clinical trials.

Evidence-based recruitment strategies for clinical research: Study personnel's and research participants' perceptions about successful methods of outreach for a U.S. Autism-Research Cohort.

Under enrollment of participants in clinical research is costly and delays study completion to impact public health. Given that research personnel make decisions about which strategies to pursue and participants are the recipients of these efforts, we surveyed research staff (n = 52) and participants (n = 4,144) affiliated with SPARK (Simons Foundation Powering Autism for Knowledge) - the largest study of autism in the U.S. - to understand their perceptions of effective recruitment strategies. In Study 1, research personnel were asked to report recruitment strategies that they tried for SPARK and to indicate which ones they would and would not repeat/recommend. In Study 2, SPARK participants were asked to indicate all the ways they heard about the study prior to enrollment and which one was most influential in their decisions to enroll. Staff rated speaking with a SPARK-study-team member (36.5%), speaking with a medical provider (19.2%), word of mouth (11.5%), and a live TV news story (11.5%) as the most successful strategies. Participants most often heard about SPARK via social media (47.0%), speaking with a medical provider (23.1%), and an online search (20.1%). Research personnel's and participants' views on effective recruitment strategies often differed, with the exception of speaking with a medical provider. Results suggest that a combination of strategies is likely to be most effective in reaching diverse audiences. Findings have implications for the selection of strategies that meet a study's specific needs, as well as recruitment-strategy "combinations" that may enhance the influence of outreach efforts.

Impact of Human Resource Practices with Reference to Montessori School Chennai City

This study delved into analyzing the impact of human resource practices with reference to Montessori school Chennai city. A random sample of 150 individuals from the Montessori school. To achieve the study's objectives, a questionnaire was designed as a data collection tool, and appropriate statistical tests and tools within (spss.v 20) were used. this study examines the impact of human resource practices in Montessori schools, with a specific focus on the educational landscape of Chennai city. Montessori education is known for its unique approach to child development, emphasizing individualized learning and holistic growth. human resource practices play a crucial role in shaping the quality of education and the overall functioning of Montessori schools.The research adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing interviews, surveys, and observations to gather data from Montessori schools across Chennai city. the study investigates various aspects of human resource management, including recruitment and selection, training and development, performance evaluation, and employee engagement. Human resource management and educational outcomes in Montessori schools, this study provides valuable insights for school administrators, policymakers, educators, and researchers. ultimately, the findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on enhancing educational practices and fostering positive learning environments in Montessori schools. Enhanced Educational Quality to understanding how human resource practices influence Montessori schools can lead to the implementation of more effective strategies for teacher recruitment, training, and development. This, in turn, can enhance the quality of education provided to students, fostering their holistic development.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of recruitment strategies in a large diabetes prevention trial conducted across two sites in Sydney, Australia

BackgroundDiabetes prevention trials require large samples and community-based recruitment, which can be protracted and expensive. We analysed the cost-effectiveness of recruitment strategies used in a randomised placebo-controlled supplement trial in adults with prediabetes and overweight or obesity conducted in Sydney, Australia. MethodsRecruitment strategies included advertising through local radio stations and newspapers, television news coverage, online advertising and editorials, advertising in and referral from primary care settings, university- and hospital-based advertising, and attending or hosting local events. For each strategy, the number of expressions of interest, screenings booked, and randomised participants were collated. The percentage contribution from each strategy, overall cost, and cost per participant were calculated. ResultsOf 4498 expressions of interest, 551 (12%) were eligible for onsite screening and 401 (9%) were randomised. Recruitment costs totalled AU$218,501, averaging AU$545 per participant. The recruitment strategy was recorded for 49% who expressed interest in the trial, and for 75% randomised into the trial. From these data, advertising on local radio stations was the most cost-effective strategy, contributing 46% of participants at AU$286 per participant, then advertising in and referral from primary care settings (57 participants [19%], AU$1438 per participant). The least cost-effective strategy was television news coverage, which was not targeted to the Sydney-based audience, contributing only six participants (AU$10,000 per participant). ConclusionRadio advertising and recruitment through healthcare were the most effective recruitment strategies in this trial. Recruitment strategies should be location-specific and appropriate for the target population, prioritising low-effort high-yield strategies. Trial investigators should seek opportunities for free advertising.

ALIGNING ASSESSMENTS AND MEASURES OF CAREGIVER NEGLECT WITH INTERVENTION DEVELOPMENT: NEW INSIGHTS AND DIRECTIONS

Abstract As one of the most common forms of elder mistreatment, caregiver neglect is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The unique stresses, demands, and challenges associated with family caregiving likely increases the risk of neglect. Addressing the multifaceted nature of caregiver neglect in diverse family caregivers of older persons necessitates alignment of meaningful assessments and methodologies with evidence-based intervention development. Gaps in knowledge that urgently need filling include refining conceptual and operational definitions of caregiver neglect, validating novel measurement approaches, and identifying effective caregiver-centered study engagement and recruitment strategies. To address these gaps, this symposium will draw upon insights from four caregiver neglect studies across community and clinical settings. Dr. David Hancock will characterize prevalence and correlates of caregiver neglect using unmet activities of daily living needs in a sample of dementia patients and their caregivers. Dr. E-Shien Chang will test the impact of varying operational definitions of caregiver neglect on prevalence estimates and associated risk and protective factors. Dr. Tony Rosen will present a novel, validated caregiver neglect severity measure to more accurately assess the impact of neglect on older persons’ health and quality of life outcomes. Dr. Farida Ejaz will highlight challenges and successes in identifying and involving family caregivers at risk of neglectful caregiving behaviors to inform intervention. Finally, Dr. Alan Stevens, as policy and advocacy expert for family caregivers, will provide summative comments and recommendations for policy and practice changes to better reduce risk of neglect and improve support for family caregivers.

ENGAGE UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN TECHNOLOGY AND AGING RESEARCH: LIVED EXPERIENCE AT GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE SITES

Abstract Minoritized and marginalized older adults face multifaceted barriers that could prevent them from participating in aging research, including but not limited to not having access to research opportunities, time and transportation constraints, lack of trust with health care providers and researchers, and language barriers. When the research projects involve technology, whether as a tool for engagement or recruitment, intervention delivery, or outcome monitoring and assessment, additional challenges exist in recruiting underrepresented groups. The technology adoption gap has been widely reported. Minoritized and marginalized older adults are less likely to have internet access or feel less confident in using technology compared to their more privileged counterparts. This symposium introduces the lived experience and lessons learned from engagement and recruitment of underrepresented populations at multiple Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers. The first presentation presents outreach and recruitment efforts at the Oregon Outreach, Recruitment &amp; Education Core. The authors will discuss strategies and benefits to engage people of underrepresented backgrounds in the research workforce. The following two presentations focus on recruitment efforts for installing an in-home monitoring technology platform for diverse older adult populations, including African Americans in Chicago, IL, and Hispanic/Latino immigrants in San Antonio, TX. The fourth presentation describes the response, retention, and enrollment rate of an online dementia research registry and the effort to adapt the registry and build capacity in recruiting Asian American immigrants with limited English proficiency. Sharing successes and lessons learned at multiple sites will contribute to developing more effective recruitment strategies for future aging research involving technology.

Opportunities to Increase Science of Diversity and Inclusion in Clinical Trials: Equity and a Lack of a Control.

The United States witnessed a nearly 4-fold increase in personal health care expenditures between 1980 and 2010. Despite innovations and obvious benefits to health, participants enrolled in clinical trials still do not accurately represent the racial and ethnic composition of patients nationally or globally. This lack of diversity in cohorts limits the generalizability and significance of results among all populations and has deep repercussions for patient equity. To advance diversity in clinical trials, robust evidence for the most effective strategies for recruitment of diverse participants is needed. A major limitation of previous literature on clinical trial diversity is the lack of control or comparator groups for different strategies. To date, interventions have focused primarily on (1) community-based interventions, (2) institutional practices, and (3) digital health systems. This review article outlines prior intervention strategies across these 3 categories and considers health policy and ethical incentives for substantiation before US Food and Drug Administration approval. There are no current studies that comprehensively compare these interventions against one another. The American Heart Association Strategically Focused Research Network on the Science of Diversity in Clinical Trials represents a multicenter, collaborative network between Stanford School of Medicine and Morehouse School of Medicine created to understand the barriers to diversity in clinical trials by contemporaneous head-to-head interventional strategies accessing digital, institutional, and community-based recruitment strategies to produce informed recruitment strategies targeted to improve underrepresented patient representation in clinical trials.

Impact of HR Practices on Job Opportunities and Career Advancement in the Hospitality Industry

This research aims to explore the current trends and best practices in human resource management, particularly in relation to job advertisements, within the hospitality industry. By examining relevant literature and analyzing case studies, this study seeks to provide valuable insights into effective recruitment strategies, job advertisement optimization, and the impact of technological advancements on HR practices. The findings of this research will contribute to the knowledge base of HR professionals, enabling them to enhance their recruitment efforts and attract and retain talented individuals in the competitive landscape of the hospitality industry.

General practice focussed strategies to increase participation in lung cancer screening – a systematic review protocol

Background Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Despite this, the uptake of lung cancer screening (LCS) using low-dose CT is substantially low in comparison to established cancer screening programmes. Additionally, those at higher risk of the disease are the least likely to participate in screening, including current smokers and those experiencing socioeconomic deprivation. General practice (which may be referred to as primary care or family medicine depending on location) plays a vital role in screening through the identification of eligible individuals, overcoming participation barriers, and facilitating shared decision-making. Given the low rates of participation, it is important to understand which, if any, strategies from general practice could improve the effectiveness of a national programme. Objectives To assess and quantify the effects of strategies implemented in general practice to increase participation in LCS. Method A systematic review and meta-analysis, where possible, will be conducted following PRISMA reporting guidelines. Searches of PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform will be conducted. All randomised trials, non-randomised studies, and quantitative descriptive studies that report recruitment strategies based in general practice and LCS outcomes will be eligible. Screening and data extraction will be conducted independently by two reviewers. The risk of bias and overall certainty of findings will be assessed using the MMAT and GRADE tools, respectively. The Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist will be used for data extraction and the Behavioural Change Techniques (BCT) Taxonomy for data analysis of the components of interventions. Conclusion This review will provide data on the most effective general practice-based recruitment strategies aimed at improving LCS participation. Understanding the most effective and equitable strategies is important in the development of successful LCS and ensuring individuals at the greatest risk can participate.

Strategies in Recruitment and Retention of Patients with Sickle Cell Disease for a Single-Site Longitudinal Clinical Trial

Background Sickle cell disease (SCD) leads to vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) and increased healthcare use, disproportionately affecting Black/African Americans. Recruiting and retaining patients with SCD in clinical trials is challenging, with &amp;lt;5% participation rates (Masese et al., 2021) due to complexity, limited awareness, and socio-economic factors (Suarez et al., 2020). Addressing these obstacles to patient recruitment is crucial for advancing SCD research. An estimated 1,695 individuals in various counties in Indiana state are affected by SCD, with 87% being of Black/African American ethnicity (Okolo et al., 2023). The limited number of comprehensive SCD care centers poses significant challenges to recruitment for our ongoing single-site longitudinal trial in Indianapolis to explore the neurobiological mechanisms underlying pain in SCD and the effectiveness of acupuncture. The study consists of 14 in-person visits in 6-8 weeks with 12-month follow-up visits (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05045820). To address these recruitment challenges and ensure meaningful research outcomes, strategic communication, collaboration, and outreach efforts were undertaken to recruit eligible participants and ensure retention. This work aimed to identify factors affecting participant retention rates, including demographic differences between those who completed and those who dropped out. Study Design and Method SCD participants were recruited from either local hospitals, including the Indiana University Affiliated Hospitals and local hospitals (such as Eskenazi Hospital, St. Vincent and the Indiana Hemophilia &amp; Thrombosis Center), or external organizations, such as the Martin Center SCD Initiative and community settings, such as churches and community care centers. Various media platforms and events, such as health fairs, campus center events, and church events, were employed to widen our outreach. Local events suggested by participants further reinforced the study's credibility among prospective participants. Retaining participants was achieved through robust and customized strategies throughout the study, including but not limited to 1) personalized real-time communication with the principal investigator, 2) regular check-ins to address concerns, 3) real-time appointment scheduling, rescheduling and reminding system, and 4) hybrid (remote/in-person) follow-up visits. Moreover, additional complementary strategies, such as motivational incentives, transportation vouchers, education platforms, actively listening to feedback, timely communication, and spiritual support were utilized to ensure our complete dedication to their well-being. Results We achieved high recruitment and retention rates in our study. So far, our retention rate is 87.1%. Of these, 24.19% completed the entire study, including in-person visits and the 12-month follow-up (n=15). 56.45% of participants are still actively enrolled in the study (n=35), while 12.9% have discontinued participation (n=8). Two participants were deceased. Our utilization of effective recruitment and retention strategies yielded continuous success in actively recruiting and retaining patients with SCD. Compared to the group of participants who dropped out from the study (n=8 total, female: n=2), participants who completed all scheduled study visits (n=15, female: n=12) were more likely to be female (p = 0.008, independent samples t-test) and have lower disease severity assessed by the frequency of VOCs in the preceding 12 months (p = 0.007, independent samples t-test). Participants recruited from external facilities/events yielded a significantly lower dropout rate than those recruited from local hospitals (p = 0.036, Chi-Square Tests). These results suggest the impact of gender, disease severity, and recruitment source on the retention rate. Conclusion The success of SCD clinical trials hinges on implementing personalized recruitment and retention strategies. Further efforts are necessary to explore innovative engagement methods targeting gender and disease-specific challenges while continuously forging solid partnerships with external facilities/organizations.

Removing the glass ceiling in Swedish wildlife management? A norm-critical study of the potential for more gender-equal moose management groups

ABSTRACT This empirical study investigates how “gender is done” within Swedish wildlife management by identifying prevailing gender norms, and how gender norms can be challenged from a norm-critical perspective, in order to promote women’s participation. The basis for the study is an ongoing evaluation of the Swedish Hunters’ Association training initiative to increase women’s participation in moose management groups. Three main norm categories are identified: performance; social interaction; and hunting as a lifestyle. Recommendations for continued gender equality work include active leadership in gender equality issues, a review of potentially excluding structures, promoting female mentors and networks, and the use of formal and transparent recruitment procedures. An understanding of norms affecting women’s participation (or nonparticipation) in wildlife management is fundamental to design effective training, recruitment and nomination strategies in the future.