Social Media Recruitment Research Articles

A Whole New World: Overcoming Methodological Challenges in the Post-Pandemic Recruitment of Pregnant Women at Risk of STIs.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on recruitment has been significant, including the recruitment of pregnant individuals with behavioral health risk factors. The objective of this manuscript is to highlight our response to the methodological challenges created by the pandemic and how we leveraged technology to adapt and expand our recruitment procedures for the Health Check-up for Expectant Moms, a technology-delivered behavioral skills intervention aimed at empowering and motivating pregnant women engaging in substance use and sexual health risks (e.g., condomless sex, multiple partners) to reduce their likelihood of STIs and substance use during pregnancy. After the onset of the pandemic, we transitioned from in-person recruitment to remote clinic recruitment (e.g., by phone, text messaging, and e-mail) as well as social media campaigns via Facebook® and Instagram® with a confidential web-based screening questionnaire for our study targeting pregnant women in 27 counties of Michigan. For remote recruitment, we contacted 6238 women; 1360 completed the study screening questionnaire (mean age = 31.5; SD = 4.6), 90 were eligible, and 73 were enrolled (6% eligibility). For social media recruitment, we had 2512 completing the pre-screening questionnaire. Of these, 501 (mean age = 31.9; SD = 4.6) went on to complete the full study screening questionnaire, 25 women were eligible, and 20 were enrolled (5%). Our 5% eligibility rate from our social media campaign is on par with our remote and in-clinic recruitment methods yet took far less time (15 weeks vs. 150 weeks vs. 48 weeks, respectively). Despite study recruitment challenges related to the pandemic, remote recruitment-particularly social media-was found to be a successful approach, may have a broader reach, and a cost-effective alternative to active recruitment.

The Impact of Social Media Usage on the Effectiveness of Military Recruitment: The Moderating Role of Economic Conditions

This study examines the impact of social media usage on military recruitment effectiveness and assesses the moderating role of economic conditions in the Jakarta region. By using social media usage like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Tik Tok, this study investigates how these platforms enhance recruitment processes by targeting specific demographics, improving communication, and fostering engagement within various economic conditions. This study employs a quantitative research design with a case study approach focused on the Jakarta region. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 350 respondents, including military recruiters and potential recruits. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) PLS. The findings show a significant positive relationship between social media usage and recruitment effectiveness. Platforms like Instagram and YouTube demonstrated higher effectiveness due to their visual and interactive nature. The moderating analysis revealed that economic conditions significantly influenced the relationship, with areas experiencing higher unemployment rates showing a stronger impact of social media campaigns on recruitment success. The results of this study contribute to the growing literature on digital marketing and recruitment by highlighting the importance of social media utilisation in recruitment strategies in military organisations. Additionally, this research provides insights for policymakers in military organisations in optimising recruitment strategies to align with regional economic dynamics and technological trends.

The Continued Usefulness of Social Media Recruitment for Surveys of People who Use Opioids

The Continued Usefulness of Social Media Recruitment for Surveys of People who Use Opioids

Recruitment of Adolescents to Virtual Clinical Trials: Recruitment Results From the Health4Me Randomized Controlled Trial.

Preventive interventions are needed to provide targeted health support to adolescents to improve health behaviors. Engaging adolescents in preventive interventions remains a challenge, highlighting the need for innovative recruitment strategies. Given adolescents' lives are intertwined with digital technologies, attention should be focused on these avenues for recruitment. The evolving nature of clinical trials, including the emergence of virtual clinical trials, requires new recruitment approaches, which must be evaluated. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness and cost of various digital recruitment strategies for recruiting adolescents to a virtual clinical trial, evaluate the progression of participants from screening to enrollment, and explore factors associated with nonparticipation. This was conducted using data from the Health4Me Study, a preventive digital health intervention to improve physical activity and nutrition behaviors among adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. Participants were recruited into the Health4Me Study via social media advertisements on various contemporary platforms, emails to schools, emails to contacts within known networks, and emails to relevant youth organizations. Data were collected from social media advertisements, screening, and recruitment logs. Data analysis included summary and descriptive statistics, as well as chi-square tests to explore factors associated with nonparticipation. From 2369 expressions of interest, 390 (16.4%) participants were enrolled. A total of 19 advertisements were placed on social media, and 385 promotional emails were sent to schools, contacts within known networks, and relevant youth organizations. Social media advertisements reached 408,077 unique accounts. Advertisements mostly reached those living in populous states in Australia (306,489/408,077, 75.11% of unique accounts) and those identifying as female (177,698/408,077, 43.55% of unique accounts). A total of 24.97% (101,907/408,077) of advertisements were delivered to accounts with uncategorized genders. The total cost per participant enrolled was Aus $3.89 (approximately US $2.58). Most participants (1980/2305, 85.90%) found out about this study through Instagram. Differences in screening characteristics between eligible participants who did and did not enroll were found to be statistically significant for gender (P=.02), with fewer males and more individuals reporting their gender as "other" enrolling than expected by chance alone. The recruitment method also differed (P<.001), with fewer participants enrolling through Instagram and more enrolling through other methods (eg, known networks or word of mouth) than expected by chance alone. This study found that virtual clinical trial recruitment was found to be low-cost, with the potential to increase trial participation. Social media was the most effective recruitment method, reaching all states and territories, including hard-to-reach populations. Future action is needed to explore recruitment methods that are more effective for males and to build trust among adolescents regarding clinical trial recruitment via social media.

The Impact of Social Media in Recruitment and Selection Process in IT Sector

The integration of social media in recruitment and selection processes has profoundly reshaped human resource management within the Information Technology (IT) sector. Platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter enable organizations to efficiently identify, assess, and engage talent by leveraging advanced search algorithms, analytics, and targeted advertising. This study explores the benefits of social media, including enhanced diversity, increased access to passive candidates, and improved employer branding. It also identifies challenges such as privacy concerns, potential biases, and ethical dilemmas. The research employs methodologies like topic modeling, t-SNE analysis, and trend analysis to uncover patterns and clusters in social media recruitment practices. Findings reveal that social media reduces hiring timelines, fosters inclusivity, and optimizes recruitment strategies. However, ethical and privacy challenges necessitate robust policies, training, and a balanced approach integrating traditional and digital recruitment methods. The study concludes with recommendations for managerial practices, societal inclusivity, and future research avenues, highlighting the transformative potential of social media in IT sector recruitment. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52783/pst.1050

A Study of Role of Social Media in the Recruitment and Selection Process

This study explores the transformative role of social media in modern recruitment practices, with a specific focus on Sarda Group's "Vachan" initiative. Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have redefined traditional hiring by enabling broader candidate reach, real-time engagement, and enhanced employer branding. Leveraging a mixed-methods approach, including quantitative analysis of social media recruitment data and qualitative interviews with HR managers, the research highlights how Sarda Group has used these platforms to attract talent, streamline recruitment, and align hires with organizational culture and values. The findings reveal that social media improves recruitment efficiency, enhances employer visibility, and provides insights into candidate profiles, enabling better hiring decisions. However, challenges such as data privacy, potential biases, and ethical considerations persist. This study concludes that while social media is a powerful tool for recruitment, organizations must continuously adapt strategies to address emerging challenges and optimize its use responsibly. The insights provide a framework for leveraging social media effectively in recruitment, emphasizing transparency, ethical practices, and strategic integration.

Reddit for research recruitment? Social media as a novel clinical trial recruitment tool for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors.

Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (AYAs) have been considered a hard-to-reach population with low enrollment rates in cancer clinical trials. Race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and inaccessibility have been identified as barriers impacting research participation. Social media has the potential to overcome these barriers and increase AYA enrollment. This secondary analysis of a randomized controlled behavioral trial aims to (1) examine differences in participant characteristics and engagement as stratified by recruitment method and (2) offer considerations for using social media to recruit AYAs. Social media and traditional recruitment methods were employed to recruit 72 post-treatment AYAs (ages 16-29) for a virtual synchronous group-based resiliency intervention (Bounce Back). Screening surveys assessed sociodemographic, medical, and psychosocial characteristics. Feasibility was assessed via attendance and follow-up survey completion. Post-intervention program acceptability and treatment satisfaction ratings were collected. A total of 61% of AYAs were recruited via social media; with 40% from Reddit, 18% from Facebook, and 3% from Twitter. Participants recruited via social media had greater sociodemographic and geographic diversity, completed cancer treatment more recently, and reported increased anxiety and prospective worry compared to participants recruited via traditional channels. No significant between-group differences in retention, engagement, acceptability, or treatment satisfaction ratings were detected. Challenges encountered included bots, malingerers, and scheduling considerations. Recruiting via social media platforms, especially Reddit, enhanced participant diversity and intervention accessibility. Researchers should identify recruitment methods that promote inclusivity while preserving safety and research integrity. Social media recruitment was a successful and comparable recruitment strategy for engaging early post-treatment AYAs in a behavioral intervention trial.

A Qualitative Study of Postpartum Women's Lived Experiences During COVID-19.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state of Florida became the epicenter of the COVID-19 delta variant during the summer of 2021. There is limited knowledge on how the pandemic impacted postpartum women's lived experiences in the United States. The purpose of the study was to explore the lived experiences of postpartum women living in South Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic and their responses. A descriptive qualitative study design was used. Study participants included 26 postpartum women living in South Florida who had given birth to a live newborn from March 2020 to May 2022. We used purposeful sampling and social media recruitment methods. Sociodemographic information was collected using REDCap, and live face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted on Webex using a semistructured questionnaire. Content analysis was used to analyze the research data and develop themes and subthemes. The first central theme, raising an infant during a pandemic, included 3 subthemes: (1) protecting the infant, (2) feeling isolated, and (3) food for thought. The second central theme, maternal needs during a pandemic, included 3 subthemes: (1) mental health needs, (2) support needs, and (3) health care needs. Findings suggest women experienced significant challenges in caring for themselves and their infants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings highlight the need for policy reform that secures comprehensive and quality postpartum health care for women that includes mental health screenings.

Facebook recruitment: understanding research relations Prior to data collection

ABSTRACT This article considers the multiple relations that emerge from and between Facebook commenters, as well as between commenters, researchers, and the research project during recruitment. To do so, we draw on our experiences of recruiting individuals who have concerns about or are opposed to a range of recent social and legal changes in ‘post-equality’ contexts. Understanding research as co-created rather than ‘collecting data from’ participants, we consider the researcher, commenters, and Facebook technologies as active agents, and ask how the emergent relationalities between these agents shapes the social media recruitment process. We develop thinking regarding these relationalities through an in-depth exploration of our processes that reveal key methodological considerations relevant to social media recruitment in the social sciences. As the process of recruitment is mutually constructed online through multiple relationalities across researcher/project and commenter, as well as between commenters themselves, we conclude that there is a need for dynamic, iterative, and reflexive responses and engagements rather than pre-defined frameworks.

Instagram for recruiting: a content analysis and effects of information and interactions in hiring-related Instagram posts

PurposeThis study aims to understand how organizations use social media for recruitment by identifying (1) what type of information is promoted and (2) what type of engagement and interaction occurs in hiring-related Instagram posts. Moreover, drawing on the social media affordance approach, this study further examines whether certain information and interactions in Instagram posts lead to better outcomes.Design/methodology/approachUsing a hashtag-based sampling strategy, we conducted a content analysis of 274 hiring-related Instagram posts by organizations to identify different types of information and interaction and then conducted a series of t-tests to examine the impact of the observed information and interactions on outcomes.FindingsWe found four types of hiring-related information and identified ten types of interactions driven by both organizations and audiences. Additionally, we found that hiring-related Instagram posts with a high degree of visibility and association led to more likes and comments.Practical implicationsThis study’s results can benefit organizations that use Instagram to attract jobseekers and potential applicants, as different types of information and interaction lead to different outcomes.Originality/valueSince this is the first study to content analyze Instagram posts associated with hiring, it will provide important implications for both practice and research.

Using Social Media to Recruit Participants in Health Care Research: Case Study.

This paper presents a case study describing the use of social media, specifically Facebook and Instagram, as a valuable tool for recruiting participants in community-engaged health care studies. Drawing on the experiences of our team during a qualitative study aiming to understand the needs of Indigenous fathers and Two-Spirit parents as they transition to parenthood, we offer an in-depth exploration of our social media recruitment strategy. This strategy encompasses deliberate content creation and online engagement with local Indigenous community organizations and people. Through the implementation of this recruitment strategy, we successfully recruited 18 Indigenous fathers and 4 Two-Spirit parents to our community-engaged project. We learned that social media can be used to enhance recruitment by building community trust, engagement, tailored content for specific audiences, and adaptive strategies guided by data metrics provided by social media platforms. Our journey included several challenges, such as dealing with fraudulent participants, navigating budget and resource constraints, and facing recruitment limitations, which we also describe in detail. Our paper provides essential insights for researchers considering the use of social media as a recruitment tool but we are unsure of how to begin. Health care researchers may find our experience and recommendations helpful for developing and implementing their own effective social media recruitment strategy. Meanwhile, sharing our experience contributes to the broader understanding of the role of social media in participant recruitment.

Exploring the Impact and Prospects of Social Media in Advancing Pediatric Pathology.

Social media has been recently highlighted as a unique and modern virtual force that allows for worldwide connection, collaboration, communication, and engagement between pathologists, trainees, and medical students. Much literature has been focused on the role of social media in recruitment and medical education practices of different pathology subspecialties, such as dermatopathology and hematopathology. However, current literature on pathology social media's status and potential future roles in promoting pediatric pathology is sparse. Herein, this review intends to narrow this knowledge gap by reviewing how social media has been utilized in different pediatric subspecialties, the current use of social media in pathology, and how the future of pediatric pathology social media use may look moving forward regarding education, research, and recruitment. Specific tips and related online resources are provided.

Educator's blueprint: Key considerations for using social media in survey-based medical education research.

In this paper, we present a set of recommendations for using social media as a tool for participant recruitment in survey-based medical education research. Drawing from a limited but growing body of literature, we discuss the opportunities and challenges inherent to social media recruitment. This article builds on the authors' previous educator's blueprints about survey design and administration. We highlight the advantages of social media, including its wide reach, cost-effectiveness, and capability to access diverse and geographically dispersed populations, which can significantly enhance the representativeness of research samples. However, we also caution against potential pitfalls, such as ethical concerns, sampling bias, and the fluid nature of social media platforms. Our recommendations are informed by both empirical evidence and best practices, aiming to provide researchers with practical advice for effectively leveraging social media in survey-based medical education research. We emphasize the importance of selecting suitable platforms and engaging with targeted demographics thoughtfully. By sharing our insights, we hope to assist fellow medical education researchers in navigating the complexities of social media recruitment, thereby enriching the quality and impact of survey-based research in this field.

USING SOCIAL MEDIA AS A RECRUITMENT TOOL: STRATEGIES AND BEST PRACTICES

In today’s digital age, social media has emerged as a powerful tool for recruitment, revolutionizing traditional hiring methods. This study explores the effectiveness of social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in attracting, engaging, and recruiting top talent across industries. By examining various strategies employed by organizations, this research identifies best practices for leveraging these platforms to enhance recruitment outcomes. Key strategies include employer branding, targeted advertising, passive candidate engagement, and community building. Additionally, the study highlights the benefits of using social media for recruitment, such as cost-effectiveness, a broader talent pool, and real-time communication, while also addressing challenges like candidate authenticity and information overload. This research provides actionable insights for HR professionals and recruiters seeking to optimize their social media recruitment strategies to improve hiring efficiency and attract the best talent.

Key Learnings and Considerations for Utilizing Social Media Recruitment in Parasport Research

Key Learnings and Considerations for Utilizing Social Media Recruitment in Parasport Research

Culturally Sensitive Perinatal Mental Health Care: Experiences of Women From Minority Ethnic Groups.

Current research has identified how ethnic minority women experience poorer health outcomes during the perinatal period. In the United Kingdom, specialist perinatal mental health services provide mental health treatment for women throughout the perinatal period. Service users have previously highlighted that perinatal services are hard to access and lack cultural sensitivity, whereas healthcare professionals have described limited opportunities and resources for developing cultural competency. We explored the experiences of ethnic minority women with National Health Service (NHS) specialist perinatal teams and identified what culturally sensitive perinatal mental health care means to this group. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted, and an interpretative phenomenological analysis framework was used to analyse the interview transcripts. Participants were recruited from NHS specialist perinatal teams and online via social media. Six women were interviewed. Four group experiential themes central to the experiences of participants emerged: (1) strengthening community networks and peer support; (2) valuing cultural curiosity; (3) making sense of how culture, ethnicity, race and racism impact mental health; and (4) tailoring interventions to ethnic minority women and their families. The findings capture how ethnic minority women experience specialist perinatal teams and offer insights into practising culturally sensitive care. Perinatal mental health professionals can support ethnic minority women by strengthening their access to community resources and peer support; being curious about their culture; helping them to make sense of how culture, ethnicity, race and mental health interact; and applying cultural and practical adaptations to interventions. A Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG) of women from ethnic minority groups contributed to the design and conduct of this study. The LEAG had lived experience of perinatal mental health conditions and accessing specialist perinatal teams. The LEAG chose to co-produce specific aspects of the research they felt fit with their skills and available time throughout five group sessions. These aspects included developing the interview topic guide, a structure for debriefing participants and advising on the social media recruitment strategy.

The food environment and hypertension: A cross-sectional analysis in Black breast cancer survivors in Maryland

ObjectivesThe Food Environment Index (FEI) has shown varying positive impacts on health outcomes related to diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. However, a relationship between FEI and hypertension among breast cancer (BC) survivors, particularly Black women survivors, remains underexplored. Black women who are BC survivors have a high prevalence of hypertension and increased risk of mortality compared to White women with BC. Our analysis aims to fill this gap by assessing the FEI's association with hypertension in this population. DesignUtilizing social media recruitment strategies and BC survivor networks, 100 Black female BC survivors completed an online survey, that included sociodemographic and clinical characteristics as well as lifestyle factors. The 2023 FEI County Health Rankings was used to assess the food environment and the index ranges from 0 (worst) to 10 (best). Adjusted prevalence odds ratios (PORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for the associations between FEI, sociodemographic and clinical factors, and hypertension status. ResultsAmong the 94 study participants with data on hypertension status, 54.3 % reported a diagnosis of hypertension. Residing in counties with a below-median FEI (<8.8 v. above median: ≥8.8) was significantly associated with hypertension (POR = 4.10, 95 % CI: 1.19–14.13). Age at survey (≥50 years compared to <50 years: POR= 0.29, 95 % CI: 0.10–0.87) and household income ($75,000-$99,999 compared to > $99,999/year: POR = 12.02, 95 % CI: 2.08–69.43) were also significantly associated with hypertension. ConclusionOur study highlights the potential impact of the food environment on hypertension among Black BC survivors living in Maryland. Our findings call attention to the need for targeted interventions to improve food accessibility and quality in underserved communities, especially for special populations such as cancer survivors.

The Impact of Incentives on Data Collection for Online Surveys: Social Media Recruitment Study.

The use of targeted advertisements on social media platforms (eg, Facebook and Instagram) has become increasingly popular for recruiting participants for online survey research. Many of these surveys offer monetary incentives for survey completion in the form of gift cards; however, little is known about whether the incentive amount impacts the cost, speed, and quality of data collection. This experiment addresses this gap in the literature by examining how different incentives in paid advertising campaigns on Instagram for completing a 10-minute online survey influence the response rate, recruitment advertising cost, data quality, and length of data collection. This experiment tested three incentive conditions using three Instagram campaigns that were each allocated a US $1400 budget to spend over a maximum of 4 days; ads targeted users aged 15-24 years in three nonadjacent designated market areas of similar size to avoid overlapping audiences. Four ad creatives were designed for each campaign; all ads featured the same images and text, but the incentive amount varied: no incentive, US $5 gift card, and US $15 gift card. All ads had a clickable link that directed users to an eligibility screener and a 10-minute online survey, if eligible. Each campaign ran for either the full allotted time (4 days) or until there were 150 total survey completes, prior to data quality checks for fraud. The US $15 incentive condition resulted in the quickest and cheapest data collection, requiring 17 hours and ad spending of US $338.64 to achieve 142 survey completes. The US $5 condition took more than twice as long (39 hours) and cost US $864.33 in ad spending to achieve 148 survey completes. The no-incentive condition ran for 60 hours, spending nearly the full budget (US $1398.23), and achieved only 24 survey completes. The US $15 and US $5 incentive conditions had similar levels of fraudulent respondents, whereas the no-incentive condition had no fraudulent respondents. The completion rate for the US $15 and US $5 incentive conditions were 93.4% (155/166) and 89.8% (149/166), respectively, while the completion rate for the no-incentive condition was 43.6% (24/55). Overall, we found that a higher incentive resulted in quicker data collection, less money spent on ads, and higher response rates, despite some fraudulent cases that had to be dropped from the sample. However, when considering the total incentive amounts in addition to the ad spending, a US $5 incentive appeared to be the most cost-effective data collection option. Other costs associated with running a campaign for a longer period should also be considered. A longer experiment is warranted to determine whether fraud varies over time across conditions.

Exploring barriers to care home research recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic: The influence of social media recruitment posts and public sentiment.

Recruitment of care home staff to research studies is recognised as challenging. This was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated negative media portrayal of care home workers. Social media use has surged since the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns, offering a plausible approach to understanding the barriers to care home research recruitment and gaining insight into public perceptions of care home workers. To utilise comments from two Facebook recruitment posts to: 1) gain an understanding of potential barriers to recruitment of healthcare workers (HCWs) in UK care homes, and 2) explore public sentiment towards care home research and care homes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study analysed comments from two Facebook posts (available June-October 2021) advertising a separate study on psychological support for care staff during the pandemic. This study was situated within a larger investigation into the mental health and wellbeing of care home staff and employed both qualitative analysis and quantitative methods (word count and correlations between words used and between posts). Three themes were identified from the qualitative analysis: support, mistrust and blame. There was a greater use of words associated with support and negative emotive words in post 2. Post 2 comments featured significantly more choice words and first-person singular pronouns than post 1 which indicated a resentful sentiment from those who advocate freedom of choice and control. Discussion of mistrust towards researchers was most prominent in post 1 indicating the importance of relationship building between researchers and HCWs in UK care homes. With attribution to blame, there was a larger range of negative emotion words than positive emotion words. Taken together our findings offer novel insights into why recruitment to care home research during the pandemic including the use of social media might be problematic. Social media is a useful tool for recruitment but should not be considered as a one-time input. Researchers should pro-actively engage with the study population from the start using co-design with resident and public groups to support recruitment and ensure these populations are accurately represented within research.

Social media recruitment of participants in a female stress urinary incontinence trial: A feasibility study

ObjectiveThis study explores the opportunities of social media advertisements as a recruitment strategy in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Study designThis feasibility study was part of a larger clinical trial on the effects of a patient decision aid for SUI treatment. We started a 61-day social media advertisement campaign to recruit women for the trial. The primary outcome of our study was enrolment pace. Secondary outcomes involved cost per participant, baseline demographic comparison and ad campaign performance metrics. Additionally, we interviewed recruited participants to identify the facilitators and barriers of our approach. ResultsTen participants were recruited, of whom 8 completed the full study protocol (2 questionnaires 6 months apart). The enrolment pace, 4.0 study participants per month, was faster compared to the average of 2.7 participants per month through conventional methods. The campaign reached 87 clicks on the advertisement per day and 1 % of these women showed interest in our study by contacting us. The overall conversion rate from click to full participation was 0.2 %. The costs per participant were €112. Besides higher age, the demographics of the social media recruited participants were comparable to the conventional inclusions. Qualitative analysis identified more user-oriented enrolment procedures and potential participant benefit as facilitators of social media recruitment. ConclusionThis study shows that social media recruitment can be feasible in trials for women with SUI. It can accelerate recruitment of eligible participants. Optimising the enrolment procedure to better meet participants’ needs and recruitment benefits may improve participation and cost-effectiveness.Trial registrationID 2017-3540