scholarly journals Effective recruitment strategies for home-living vulnerable older adults with depression into a psychotherapy RCT

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 859-859
Author(s):  
Eva-Marie Kessler ◽  
Fee Hoppmann ◽  
Julie L O’Sullivan ◽  
Paul Gellert ◽  
Christina Tegeler
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hospital Setting ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Recruitment Strategy ◽  
Recruitment Strategies ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Time Investment ◽  
Home Living ◽  
First Contact

Abstract Objectives Vulnerable older adults, such as physically impaired or care-dependent individuals, are vastly underrepresented in psychotherapy research. Improving their inclusion in randomized controlled trials is necessary to determine the effectiveness of psychotherapy in this population. This study is the first to systematically evaluate strategies to recruit home-living vulnerable older adults with clinically significant depression into a large randomized controlled psychotherapy trial. Potential participants were approached directly (self-referral) or via cooperation with gatekeepers (gatekeeper-referral). Methods The initiator of the first contact with the study team and successful recruitment strategies were recorded. Referral strategies were compared with respect to number of inquiries and inclusion rates; study personnel’s time investment; and participant characteristics (sociodemographics, functional and cognitive status, depression and anxiety scores). Results Most of the N=197 participants were included via gatekeeper-referral (80.5%, 95%CI=[74.9%,86.1%], but time investment for gatekeeper-referrals was five times higher than for self-referral by media reports. Clinical psychologists and medical practitioners referred the largest proportion of participants (32.3% each) and referral by medical practitioners led to highest inclusion rates (55.6%; χ²(3)=8.964, p<.05). Most participants were referred from a hospital setting (50.3%), whereas referral numbers by medical practices were low (15.9%). Participants who initiated the first contact themselves had higher inclusion rates and were less functionally and cognitively impaired. Conclusions Including home-living vulnerable older adults into psychotherapy trials requires simultaneous implementation of diverse recruitment strategies. Medical practitioners and psychologists, especially in hospitals, are the most effective recruitment strategy, but self-referral via media is most cost-efficient in terms of time investment.

scholarly journals Recruitment of adolescents with suicidal ideation in the emergency department: lessons from a randomized controlled pilot trial of a youth suicide prevention intervention

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Tracey ◽  
Yaron Finkelstein ◽  
Reva Schachter ◽  
Kristin Cleverley ◽  
Suneeta Monga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Recruitment Strategy ◽  
Recruitment Strategies ◽  
Youth Suicide ◽  
Prevention Intervention ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Recruitment Period

Abstract Background Emergency Departments (EDs) are a first point-of-contact for many youth with mental health and suicidality concerns and can serve as an effective recruitment source for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of mental health interventions. However, recruitment in acute care settings is impeded by several challenges. This pilot RCT of a youth suicide prevention intervention recruited adolescents aged 12 to 17 years presenting to a pediatric hospital ED with suicide related behaviors. Methods Recruitment barriers were identified during the initial study recruitment period and included: the time of day of ED presentations, challenges inherent to study presentation, engagement and participation during an acute presentation, challenges approaching and enrolling acutely suicidal patients and families, ED environmental factors, and youth and parental concerns regarding the study. We calculated the average recruitment productivity for published trials of adolescent suicide prevention strategies which included the ED as a recruitment site in order to compare our recruitment productivity. Results In response to identified barriers, an enhanced ED-centered recruitment strategy was developed to address low recruitment rate, specifically (i) engaging a wider network of ED and outpatient psychiatry staff (ii) dissemination of study pamphlets across multiple areas of the ED and relevant outpatient clinics. Following implementation of the enhanced recruitment strategy, the pre-post recruitment productivity, a ratio of patients screened to patients randomized, was computed. A total of 120 patients were approached for participation, 89 (74.2%) were screened and 45 (37.5%) were consented for the study from March 2018 to April 2019. The screening to randomization ratio for the study period prior to the introduction of the enhanced recruitment strategies was 3:1, which decreased to 1.8:1 following the implementation of enhanced recruitment strategies. The ratio for the total recruitment period was 2.1:1. This was lower than the average ratio of 3.2:1 for published trials. Conclusions EDs are feasible sites for participant recruitment in RCTs examining new interventions for acute mental health problems, including suicidality. Engaging multi-disciplinary ED staff to support recruitment for such studies, proactively addressing anticipated concerns, and creating a robust recruitment pathway that includes approach at outpatient appointments can optimize recruitment. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03488602, retrospectively registered April 4, 2018.

scholarly journals Effective Recruitment Strategies for Community-Dwelling Persons Living With Dementia and Their Caregivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 547-547
Author(s):  
LaShauna Connell ◽  
Augustine Boateng ◽  
Darina Petrovsky ◽  
Justine Sefcik ◽  
Nancy Hodgson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Outreach ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Recruitment Strategy ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Recruitment Strategies ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Health Fairs ◽  
Diverse Community ◽  
One Year ◽  
Almost All

Abstract Recruitment of diverse community-dwelling persons living with dementia (PLWD) and their caregivers (dyads) into randomized controlled trials (RCT) is challenging, time consuming and expensive. This presentation will describe community outreach efforts used over a one-year period to recruit dyads of PLWD and their caregivers in Healthy Patterns RCT. Community outreach yielded 296 inquiries, such that people expressed interest in joining the study. Of the 296 inquiries, almost all (95.6%) identified as African American, and 91(30.7%) consented to join the study. Presentations at senior centers yielded the highest number of inquiries (n=148), followed by staff presence at various community events such as health fairs and senior galas (n=145) and referrals (n=3). We found that community outreach was an effective recruitment strategy to generate inquiries among diverse PLWD and their caregivers to enroll in Healthy Patterns. We will discuss these strategies and provide suggestions for recruiting diverse dyads into clinical trials.

scholarly journals Comparative Success of Recruitment Strategies for an Exercise Intervention Trial Among Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Observational Study

10.2196/25208 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. e25208
Author(s):  
Jamie L Benham ◽  
Jane E Booth ◽  
Christine M Friedenreich ◽  
Doreen M Rabi ◽  
Ronald J Sigal
Keyword(s):  
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Exercise Intervention ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Recruitment Strategy ◽  
Recruitment Strategies ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Time Investment

Background Effective and efficient participant recruitment is a key determinant of the success of a research program. Previously reported recruitment strategies have displayed variable success rates in studies on women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and cost per participant of the recruitment strategies that we used in a prospective randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of exercise training among inactive women with PCOS, who are aged 18-40 years. Methods The 4 recruitment methods we used were as follows: (1) referral by health care providers or by word of mouth, (2) media (eg, local newspaper stories and radio interviews), (3) Facebook advertisements, and (4) unpaid advertisements including posters and websites. The proportions of potential, eligible, and enrolled participants recruited with each method were determined and compared using tests of proportion. The time investment and cost per participant enrolled were calculated for each recruitment strategy. Results Of 200 potential participants screened, 98 (49%) were recruited from unpaid advertisements (posters and websites), 70 (35%) from Facebook advertisements, 16 (8%) by referral, and 16 (8%) from traditional media (newspaper and radio). Every potential participant was recruited from separate means (ie, no participant was approached through more than one recruitment method). A total of 109 (54.5%) women were deemed eligible for participation in the trial, and 60 (30.0%) were enrolled. The proportion of potential participants who completed the trial was higher for those recruited from traditional media than from Facebook advertisements (n=7/16, 44% vs n=13/70, 19%, respectively; P=.03) or unpaid advertisements (n=7/16, 44% vs n=13/98, 13%, respectively; P=.002). The cost per participant was Can $18.21 (US $14.46) for Facebook advertisements and Can $43.88 (US $34.85) for unpaid advertisements. There were no direct trial costs for referrals or traditional media. Conclusions For this trial, each method was important for recruiting inactive women with PCOS because no participant reported learning about the trial through more than one method. Unpaid advertisements and Facebook advertisements helped recruit the largest number of participants in the trial, the former resulting in a higher cost per participant than the latter. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03362918; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03362918

scholarly journals Recruitment of Participants for a 3D Virtual Supermarket: Cross-sectional Observational Study

10.2196/19234 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. e19234
Author(s):  
Jody C Hoenink ◽  
Joreintje D Mackenbach ◽  
Laura Nynke van der Laan ◽  
Jeroen Lakerveld ◽  
Wilma Waterlander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Recruitment Strategy ◽  
Recruitment Strategies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Media Campaigns ◽  
Time Investment ◽  
Study Team

Background Virtual supermarkets offer a practical and affordable setting to test the efficacy of different pricing and nudging strategies before they are implemented in the real world. Despite the advantages of using virtual supermarkets for this purpose, conducting studies in online settings is challenging with regard to recruitment and retention of sufficient and suitable participants. Objective To describe cost, time, and retention with regard to participants recruited using various strategies and potential sociodemographic differences between participants recruited via different strategies. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from a randomized controlled trial in which 455 Dutch adults with low and high educational levels were invited to shop 5 times in a 3D virtual supermarket. Participants were recruited via social media and flyers. A log that tracked the costs of and time spent on the different recruitment strategies was kept by the study team. Outcome measures included the cost of recruitment strategies, the time investment by researchers, and recruitment and attrition rates of participants in the study. Results The median age of study completers was 31.0 (IQR 25.0) and 157 out of 346 study completers (45.4%) were highly educated. Out of the 455 included participants, 235 (51.6%) were recruited via social media campaigns, 131 (28.8%) via home-delivered flyers, 38 (8.4%) via flyers directly distributed by the study team, and 46 (10.1%) via word-of-mouth. Of all paid recruitment strategies, social media campaigns were the cheapest and least time-consuming, whereas the distribution of flyers by the study team was the most expensive and time-consuming recruitment strategy. Age, sex, overweight status, employment situation, and number of adults within the household varied by recruitment strategy. Conclusions Using different recruitment strategies resulted in the efficient recruitment of a representative study sample and retention of participants was relatively high. While “word-of-mouth” was the most cost- and time-effective recruitment strategy, using only one type of recruitment strategy could result in a demographically skewed study population.

scholarly journals Comparative Success of Recruitment Strategies for an Exercise Intervention Trial Among Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Observational Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie L Benham ◽  
Jane E Booth ◽  
Christine M Friedenreich ◽  
Doreen M Rabi ◽  
Ronald J Sigal
Keyword(s):  
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Exercise Intervention ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Recruitment Strategy ◽  
Recruitment Strategies ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Time Investment

BACKGROUND Effective and efficient participant recruitment is a key determinant of the success of a research program. Previously reported recruitment strategies have displayed variable success rates in studies on women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and cost per participant of the recruitment strategies that we used in a prospective randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of exercise training among inactive women with PCOS, who are aged 18-40 years. METHODS The 4 recruitment methods we used were as follows: (1) referral by health care providers or by word of mouth, (2) media (eg, local newspaper stories and radio interviews), (3) Facebook advertisements, and (4) unpaid advertisements including posters and websites. The proportions of potential, eligible, and enrolled participants recruited with each method were determined and compared using tests of proportion. The time investment and cost per participant enrolled were calculated for each recruitment strategy. RESULTS Of 200 potential participants screened, 98 (49%) were recruited from unpaid advertisements (posters and websites), 70 (35%) from Facebook advertisements, 16 (8%) by referral, and 16 (8%) from traditional media (newspaper and radio). Every potential participant was recruited from separate means (ie, no participant was approached through more than one recruitment method). A total of 109 (54.5%) women were deemed eligible for participation in the trial, and 60 (30.0%) were enrolled. The proportion of potential participants who completed the trial was higher for those recruited from traditional media than from Facebook advertisements (n=7/16, 44% vs n=13/70, 19%, respectively; <i>P</i>=.03) or unpaid advertisements (n=7/16, 44% vs n=13/98, 13%, respectively; <i>P</i>=.002). The cost per participant was Can $18.21 for Facebook advertisements and Can $43.88 for unpaid advertisements. There were no direct trial costs for referrals or traditional media. CONCLUSIONS For this trial, each method was important for recruiting inactive women with PCOS because no participant reported learning about the trial through more than one method. Unpaid advertisements and Facebook advertisements helped recruit the largest number of participants in the trial, the former resulting in a higher cost per participant than the latter. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03362918; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03362918

Effectiveness of Recruitment Strategies for a Physical Activity Intervention in Older Adults With Chronic Diseases

2004 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Lindstrom ◽  
Karen Chad ◽  
Nigel Ashworth ◽  
Bobbi Dunphy ◽  
Elizabeth Harrison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
General Public ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Recruitment Strategy ◽  
Personal Contact ◽  
Recruitment Strategies ◽  
Recruitment Methods

Background:Engaging sedentary individuals in physical activity (PA) is challenging and problematic for research requiring large, representative samples. For research projects to be carried out in reasonable timeframes, optimum recruitment methods are needed. Effective recruitment strategies involving PA interventions for older adults have not been determined.Purpose:To compare the effectiveness of recruitment strategies for a PA intervention.Methods:Two recruitment strategies, print media and personal contact, targeted health-care professionals and the general public.Results:The strategies generated 581 inquiries; 163 were randomized into the study. Advertising to the general public via print materials and group presentations accounted for 78% of the total inquiries. Referrals from physicians and health-care professionals resulted in 22% of the inquiries.Conclusion:Mass distribution of print material to the general public, enhanced by in-person contact, was the most effective recruitment strategy. These findings suggest various recruitment strategies targeting the general population should be employed.

Interindividual Differences in Cognitive Functioning Are Associated with Autobiographical Memory Retrieval Specificity in Older Adults

GeroPsych ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Peters ◽  
Signy Sheldon
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Generation Task ◽  
Interindividual Differences ◽  
Retrieval Cues ◽  
Contextual Support

Abstract. We examined whether interindividual differences in cognitive functioning among older adults are related to episodic memory engagement during autobiographical memory retrieval. Older adults ( n = 49, 24 males; mean age = 69.93; mean education = 15.45) with different levels of cognitive functioning, estimated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), retrieved multiple memories (generation task) and the details of a single memory (elaboration task) to cues representing thematic or event-specific autobiographical knowledge. We found that the MoCA score positively predicted the proportion of specific memories for generation and episodic details for elaboration, but only to cues that represented event-specific information. The results demonstrate that individuals with healthy, but not unhealthy, cognitive status can leverage contextual support from retrieval cues to improve autobiographical specificity.

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