Challenges in recruitment of research participants

Abstract

There are many potential pitfalls in the identification and enlistment of suitable candidates for psychiatric research. The challenges of recruitment are highlighted, detailing impact of study design, characteristics of participants, including demographics and personal preferences, investigator characteristics and collaboration with clinicians. Techniques used in recruitment are discussed, including financial incentives, assertive tracking and communication methods. Ethical issues, methods of data collection, and control participants are also considered. Key issues are: early consideration of the impact of study design on the recruitment process; the participant's perspective; close collaboration with colleagues; the investigator's good interpersonal, communication and organisational skills; and feedback to collaborators, associated clinicians and participants.

Parents' constructions of the sexual self-presentation and sexual conduct of adolescents: discourses of gendering and protecting

“…The strategy of snowball sampling was more successful; nonetheless, while the final sample revealed a reasonable balance of working and middle-class participants (based on O'Hare et al 's (1991) occupational scale), fathers remained underrepresented in the sample (see Table 1). (Difficulties in recruiting men to participate in research has also been a feature of other studies (Patel et al 2003)). Other characteristics of the sample are presented in Table 2 (socio-economic group), Table 3 (civil status of participants) and Table 4 (age range of participants).…”

Email subject lines and response rates to invitations to participate in a web survey and a face-to-face interview: the sound of silence

“…Prior to the mass spread of the Internet, researchers had at their disposal a few stock strategies for recruiting research participants: for instance, mass mailings, tapping into informal networks, or requesting the participation of undergraduates in exchange for course credits. Many of these conventional strategies are slow, laborious, and, relative to the investment in researcher time required, yield low participation rates (Baruch & Holtom, 2008;Groves, Cialdini, & Couper, 1992;Patel, Doku, & Tennakoon, 2003). Online methods of participant recruitment offer advantages that may lead to such approaches supplanting traditional recruitment strategies (Sappleton, 2013).…”

The challenge of reducing smoking in people with serious mental illness

“…Conducting clinical trials among people with serious mental illness can be challenging as their complex health and social needs can make recruitment, retention, and monitoring more difficult than trials in general population samples. 127 Additionally, avolition, which is a negative symptom of schizophrenia, can reduce interest in quitting and act as an impediment to recruiting and retaining these smokers in smoking cessation trials. 61 However, the extra investment and effort required to develop the evidence base for tobacco harm reduction options for this population is warranted given the urgent need to reduce smoking among people with serious mental illness.…”