No abstract

HIV/AIDS-related research requires recruitment of representative samples of MSM; yet, we know little about the comparative yield, diversity and cost-benefit tradeoffs between different recruitment venues. We compared 11 recruitment venues used for nine HIV prevention-related focus groups with MSM in Metropolitan Detroit. Of the 64 participants, 24 were clients recruited via an HIV/AIDS-focused nonprofit, 20 from Grindr advertisements, 6 from university-student email lists, and 5 from flyers/palmcards. Significantly more African-American, low-income and HIV-positive participants were recruited via the nonprofit. The best cost-benefit tradeoffs were for organizational Facebook posts, email groups, personal networking, and nonprofit recruitment. Grindr increased the size of the sample, though at greater expense. Facebook and Scruff advertisements and gay bar outreach represented greater costs than benefits. Only 11.6% of Grindr respondents attended the focus groups. A mix of online and offline recruitment venues can generate a large and diverse sample of MSM, but venue performance is uneven.

Mixed methods research (MMR) is versatile, pragmatic, and adaptable to constraints and opportunities during a research process. Although MMR has gain popularity in health services management research, little is known about how the research approach has been used and the quality of research. We conducted a systematic review of 198 MMR articles published in selected U.S.-based and international health services management journals from 2000 through 2018 to examine the extent of MMR application and scientific rigor. Results showed limited, yet increasing, use of MMR and a high degree of correspondence between MMR designs and study purposes. However, most articles did not clearly justify using MMR designs and the reporting of method details and research integration were inadequate in a significant portion of publications. We propose a checklist to assist the preparation and review of MMR manuscripts. Additional implications and recommendations to improve transparency, rigor, and quality in MMR are discussed.

ResearchBull World Health Organ 2016;94:86-91| doi: http://dx.