Strategies for improving patient recruitment to focus groups in primary care: a case study reflective paper using an analytical framework

Dyas, Jane; Apekey, Tanefa; Tilling, Michelle; Siriwardena, Aloysius Niroshan

doi:10.1186/1471-2288-9-65

Cited by 21 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…In a national multi-center epilepsy trial in New Zealand, researchers developed a website to facilitate subject recruitment and data collection (10). As community based research becomes more common, electronic data can aid recruitment in primary care settings (11,12) given the appropriate privacy controls (13). McGregor and associates (14) describe the use of an algorithm to identify potential study participants using primary care data to select patients based on the trial’s inclusion and exclusion criteria.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy and cost-effectiveness of an automated screening algorithm in an inpatient clinical trial

et al. 2012

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Introduction Screening and recruitment for clinical trials can be costly and time-consuming. Inpatient trials present additional challenges because enrollment is time-sensitive based on length of stay. We hypothesized that using an automated pre-screening algorithm to identify eligible subjects would increase screening efficiency and enrollment and be cost-effective compared to manual review of a daily admission list Methods Using a before-and-after design, we compared time spent screening, number of patients screened, enrollment rate, and cost-effectiveness of each screening method in an inpatient diabetes trial conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital. Manual Chart Review (CR) involved reviewing a daily list of admitted patients to identify eligible subjects. The automated pre-screening method (APS) used an algorithm to generate a daily list of patients with glucose levels ≥180 mg/dl, an insulin order, and/or admission diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. The census generated was then manually screened to confirm eligibility and eliminate patients who met our exclusion criteria. We determined rates of screening and enrollment and cost-effectiveness of each method based on study sample size. Results Total screening time (pre-screening and screening) decreased from 4 to 2 hours, allowing subjects to be approached earlier in the course of the hospital stay. The average number of patients pre-screened per day increased from 13 ± 4 to 30 ± 16 (P<0.0001). Rate of enrollment increased from 0.17 to 0.32 patients per screening day. Developing the computer algorithm added a fixed cost of $3,000 to the study. Based on our screening and enrollment rates, the algorithm was cost-neutral after enrolling 12 patients. Larger sample sizes further favored screening with an algorithm. By contrast, higher recruitment rates favored individual chart review. Limitations Because of the before-and-after design of this study, it is possible that unmeasured factors contributed to increased enrollment. Conclusion Using a computer algorithm to identify eligible patients for a clinical trial in the inpatient setting increased the number of patients screened and enrolled, decreased the time required to enroll them, and was less expensive. Upfront investment in developing a computerized algorithm to improve screening may be cost-effective even for relatively small trials, especially when the recruitment rate is expected to be low.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy and cost-effectiveness of an automated screening algorithm in an inpatient clinical trial

et al. 2012

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“…El muestreo intencional, en oposición al muestreo probabilístico que prioriza la equiprobabilidad de los participantes, selecciona casos ricos en información. Investigaciones recientes demuestran la eficacia del muestreo intencional en los estudios cualitativos (Dyas, 2009).…”

Section: Metodologíaunclassified

Las mujeres en las series de ficción: el punto de vista de las mujeres

2019

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La finalidad de esta investigación es comprender y profundizar en cómo perciben las mujeres a las mujeres protagonistas de las series de ficción, qué efecto producen en ellas y el modo en que el discurso feminista influye en sus preferencias, actitud y juicios. Se utiliza una metodología exploratoria basada en focus groups y análisis de contenido que ha permitido realizar un recorrido por diferentes series de ficción y analizar los personajes femeninos a través de la mirada de la mujer actual. Los resultados sugieren que las mujeres perciben ciertos cambios en el estereotipo de género que se presenta en las series de ficción debido a la incorporación de nuevas temáticas y problemas que son abordados desde una perspectiva que les resulta más cercana y realista. Sin embargo, las mujeres que forman parte de la audiencia de estas series reclaman una evolución aún mayor y paralela al cambio que está experimentando la sociedad en cuestiones de género. El trabajo se concluye con la identificación de limitaciones y futuras líneas de investigación.

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“…Recruiting and retention of participants to large-scale longitudinal studies has become a challenge in recent years [ 1 ], particularly when resources are limited and low response rates lead to the costs of more traditional random sampling methods becoming prohibitive [ 2 ]. Qualitative inquiries with members of the target population can assist in the development of effective recruiting techniques [ 3 ]. The current study utilized qualitative methods to examine the facilitators and barriers to participation in a national cohort online survey study of women aged 18-23 years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Existing qualitative research has indicated a number of factors that encourage participation in health research and how to maximize recruitment. Demonstrating the importance of remaining alert during the recruitment phase, Dyas et al reported upon recruitment to a focus group study as part of a primary care sleep intervention in the United Kingdom [ 3 ]. While monitoring the recruitment of participants into the focus groups, the authors noted evidence of recruitment tactics not in keeping with the original research plan, and a number of changes were necessary to their original recruitment strategy to boost lagging participation numbers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In their findings, the authors reiterated the importance of only using evidence of what works best in the planning and design of studies. In terms of recruitment of participants into health research, Dyas et al noted that although individuals can be interested in a topic it does not necessarily equate to subsequent participation [ 3 ]. This point was supported by de Jonge [ 4 ] when referring to recruitment into focus groups specifically.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health: Using Focus Groups to Inform Recruitment

Tavener

Mooney²,

Thomson³

et al. 2016

JMIR Res Protoc

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BackgroundRecruitment and retention of participants to large-scale, longitudinal studies can be a challenge, particularly when trying to target young women. Qualitative inquiries with members of the target population can prove valuable in assisting with the development of effective recruiting techniques. Researchers in the current study made use of focus group methodology to identify how to encourage young women aged 18-23 to participate in a national cohort online survey.ObjectiveOur objectives were to gain insight into how to encourage young women to participate in a large-scale, longitudinal health survey, as well as to evaluate the survey instrument and mode of administration.MethodsThe Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health used focus group methodology to learn how to encourage young women to participate in a large-scale, longitudinal Web-based health survey and to evaluate the survey instrument and mode of administration. Nineteen groups, involving 75 women aged 18-23 years, were held in remote, regional, and urban areas of New South Wales and Queensland.ResultsFocus groups were held in 2 stages, with discussions lasting from 19 minutes to over 1 hour. The focus groups allowed concord to be reached regarding survey promotion using social media, why personal information was needed, strategies to ensure confidentiality, how best to ask sensitive questions, and survey design for ease of completion. Recruitment into the focus groups proved difficult: the groups varied in size between 1 and 8 participants, with the majority conducted with 2 participants.ConclusionsIntense recruitment efforts and variation in final focus group numbers highlights the “hard to reach” character of young women. However, the benefits of conducting focus group discussions as a preparatory stage to the recruitment of a large cohort for a longitudinal Web-based health survey were upheld.

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Strategies for improving patient recruitment to focus groups in primary care: a case study reflective paper using an analytical framework

Cited by 21 publications

References 39 publications

Efficacy and cost-effectiveness of an automated screening algorithm in an inpatient clinical trial

Efficacy and cost-effectiveness of an automated screening algorithm in an inpatient clinical trial

Las mujeres en las series de ficción: el punto de vista de las mujeres

The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health: Using Focus Groups to Inform Recruitment

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