Clinical research is crucial for improving quality of life, but its success hinges on recruiting enough participants. This can be especially challenging for studies involving vulnerable populations, often leading to time-consuming recruitment efforts. Despite these common hurdles, detailed research on these challenges remains scarce.

This case study explores an opioid intervention study that offered online naloxone administration training (naloxone is a life-saving drug used during opioid overdoses). The study also utilised a medical app to notify participants about nearby overdoses in real-time. With a target of 220 participants, the study offered a $5 incentive for completing the pre-test and training, with an additional $5 for the post-test. Recruitment, however, coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic’s peak restrictions.

Recruitment Strategies

The study employed four recruitment strategies:

• Social Media Ads: Two flyers were designed for Facebook and Instagram, one appealing to personal identity and the other to a sense of community. A/B testing was conducted over 11 days to compare their effectiveness.
• Printed Flyers: The same flyers were printed and distributed in local communities, including churches, public safety offices, hospitals, treatment facilities, and stores.
• In-Person Events: A team member presented the project at five local events, encouraging attendees to sign up for training and receive naloxone.
• Online Participation Pools: Ads with both personal and community messages were posted on online participant pool websites.

Online recruitment proved most successful, while the other strategies yielded lower participation. Social media ads attracted only four participants, and flyers even fewer. Although in-person events were well-attended, few attendees ultimately completed the entire training and testing process.

The study authors acknowledge their efforts to develop effective online materials and secure support from in-person events. However, they believe a lack of further incentives likely discouraged participation in the online training. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic’s limitations on in-person interaction and the study’s rural location might have played a role.

Source

Academia