Recruiting a special sample with sparse resources: Lessons from a study of Gulf War veterans

Erickson, Laura C.; Ritchie, Janis B.; Javors, Jennifer; Golomb, Beatrice A.

doi:10.1177/1740774512470040

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…and Hispanic people [77,89,110,113,135,146,149,154]; Maori or Pacific Island populations [162]; Turkish migrants with depressive symptoms [159]; men who have sex with men [107]; transgender women [107]; other people at risk of HIV infection [137]; people with low computer and health literacy [76]; Gulf War veterans [96]; infertile couples [160]; and low-income gay, lesbian and bisexual smokers [77]. One study focussed specifically on the retention of a minority/under-served population: of low-income, vulnerable, smokers with mental illness in psychiatric units [114].…”

Section: Application Of Digital Tools In Specific Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital tools for the recruitment and retention of participants in randomised controlled trials: a systematic map

Frampton

Shepherd

Pickett

et al. 2020

Trials

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Recruiting and retaining participants in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is challenging. Digital tools, such as social media, data mining, email or text-messaging, could improve recruitment or retention, but an overview of this research area is lacking. We aimed to systematically map the characteristics of digital recruitment and retention tools for RCTs, and the features of the comparative studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of these tools during the past 10 years. Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, other databases, the Internet, and relevant web sites in July 2018 to identify comparative studies of digital tools for recruiting and/or retaining participants in health RCTs. Two reviewers independently screened references against protocol-specified eligibility criteria. Included studies were coded by one reviewer with 20% checked by a second reviewer, using pre-defined keywords to describe characteristics of the studies, populations and digital tools evaluated.Results: We identified 9163 potentially relevant references, of which 104 articles reporting 105 comparative studies were included in the systematic map. The number of published studies on digital tools has doubled in the past decade, but most studies evaluated digital tools for recruitment rather than retention. The key health areas investigated were health promotion, cancers, circulatory system diseases and mental health. Few studies focussed on minority or under-served populations, and most studies were observational. The most frequently-studied digital tools were social media, Internet sites, email and tv/radio for recruitment; and email and text-messaging for retention. One quarter of the studies measured efficiency (cost per recruited or retained participant) but few studies have evaluated people's attitudes towards the use of digital tools.Conclusions: This systematic map highlights a number of evidence gaps and may help stakeholders to identify and prioritise further research needs. In particular, there is a need for rigorous research on the efficiency of the digital tools and their impact on RCT participants and investigators, perhaps as studies-within-a-trial (SWAT) research. There is also a need for research into how digital tools may improve participant retention in RCTs which is currently underrepresented relative to recruitment research.

show abstract

Section: Application Of Digital Tools In Specific Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital tools for the recruitment and retention of participants in randomised controlled trials: a systematic map

Frampton

Shepherd

Pickett

et al. 2020

Trials

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Details of recruitment have been published separately (Erickson, Ritchie, Javors, & Golomb, 2013). Multiple approaches were employed, including media posts, talks to clinician groups that included VA physicians, and Internet posts.…”

Section: Study Recruitment Run-in Randomization Blinding Study Mementioning

confidence: 99%

Coenzyme Q10 Benefits Symptoms in Gulf War Veterans: Results of a Randomized Double-Blind Study

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We sought to assess whether coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) benefits the chronic multisymptom problems that affect one-quarter to one-third of 1990-1 Gulf War veterans, using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Participants were 46 veterans meeting Kansas and Centers for Disease Control criteria for Gulf War illness. Intervention was PharmaNord (Denmark) CoQ10 100 mg per day (Q100), 300 mg per day (Q300), or an identical-appearing placebo for 3.5 ± 0.5 months. General self-rated health (GSRH), the primary outcome, differed across randomization arms at baseline, and sex significantly predicted GSRH change, compelling adjustment for baseline GSRH and prompting sex-stratified analysis. GSRH showed no significant benefit in the combined-sex sample. Among males (85% of participants), Q100 significantly benefited GSRH versus placebo and versus Q300, providing emphasis on Q100. Physical function (summary performance score, SPS) improved on Q100 versus placebo. A rise in CoQ10 approached significance as a predictor of improvement in GSRH and significantly predicted SPS improvement. Among 20 symptoms each present in half or more of the enrolled veterans, direction-of-difference on Q100 versus placebo was favorable for all except sleep problems; sign test 19:1, p=0.00004) with several symptoms individually significant. Significance for these symptoms despite the small sample underscores large effect sizes, and an apparent relation of key outcomes to CoQ10 change increases prospects for causality. In conclusion, Q100 conferred benefit to physical function and symptoms in veterans with Gulf War illness. Examination in a larger sample is warranted, and findings from this study can inform the conduct of a larger trial.

show abstract

“…We found it was feasible to both recruit and provide this intervention, although there were some recruitment difficulties, not unlike other studies of GWI, which is a special population [7,95]. Our final study starts were 29% of potentially eligible GW veterans.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Detoxification Intervention for Gulf War Illness: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Kerr

Morse

Graves

et al. 2019

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Approximately 30% of the 700,000 US veterans of the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War developed multiple persistent symptoms called Gulf War illness. While the etiology is uncertain, several toxic exposures including pesticides and chemical warfare agents have shown associations. There is no effective medical treatment. An intervention to enhance detoxification developed by Hubbard has improved quality of life and/or reduced body burdens in other cohorts. We evaluated its feasibility and efficacy in ill Gulf War (GW) veterans in a randomized, waitlist-controlled, pilot study at a community-based rehabilitation facility in the United States. Eligible participants (n = 32) were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 22) or a four-week waitlist control (n = 10). The daily 4–6 week intervention consisted of exercise, sauna-induced sweating, crystalline nicotinic acid and other supplements. Primary outcomes included recruitment, retention and safety; and efficacy was measured via Veteran’s Short Form-36 (SF-36) quality of life, McGill pain, multidimensional fatigue inventory questionnaires and neuropsychological batteries. Scoring of outcomes was blinded. All 32 completed the trial and 21 completed 3-month follow-up. Mean SF-36 physical component summary score after the intervention was 6.9 (95% CI; −0.3, 14.2) points higher compared to waitlist control and 11 of 16 quality of life, pain and fatigue measures improved, with no serious adverse events. Most improvements were retained after 3 months. The Hubbard regimen was feasible, safe and might offer relief for symptoms of GW illness.

show abstract

Recruiting a special sample with sparse resources: Lessons from a study of Gulf War veterans

Cited by 10 publications

References 37 publications

Digital tools for the recruitment and retention of participants in randomised controlled trials: a systematic map

Digital tools for the recruitment and retention of participants in randomised controlled trials: a systematic map

Coenzyme Q10 Benefits Symptoms in Gulf War Veterans: Results of a Randomized Double-Blind Study

A Detoxification Intervention for Gulf War Illness: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About