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Seminars may increase recruitment to randomised controlled trials: lessons learned from WISDOM.
Bronwen J Paine1, Nigel P Stocks, Alastair H MacLennan
1Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia. bronwen.paine@adelaide.edu.au
Trials
|January 30, 2008
Summary
Group seminars significantly improved recruitment for the Women's International Study of long Duration Oestrogen after Menopause (WISDOM) trial. This strategy enhanced patient information and reduced researcher workload in primary care settings.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Trials
- Public Health
- Women's Health
Background:
- Recruiting patients to large randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in primary care presents significant challenges.
- Efficient recruitment strategies are crucial to minimize the burden on general practitioners.
- The Women's International Study of long Duration Oestrogen after Menopause (WISDOM) trial aimed to address these recruitment challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe methods for recruiting female patients aged 50-69 to the WISDOM hormone therapy (HT) RCT.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of group seminars preceding one-to-one screening for trial recruitment.
- To optimize patient identification, approach, and enrollment processes.
Main Methods:
- Female patients aged 50-69 were invited via general practitioner letters to attend an initial information seminar.
- Seminars provided details on hormone therapy (HT) and the WISDOM trial before screening interviews.
- Recruitment rates were compared between women who attended seminars and those who did not.
Main Results:
- Women attending group seminars were twice as likely to attend screening and enroll in the WISDOM trial (p < 0.001).
- The seminar approach reduced the time to randomize participants.
- Fewer and shorter telephone calls were needed to screen out uninterested women in the seminar group.
Conclusions:
- Group seminars are an effective strategy for maximizing patient recruitment in primary care settings.
- This method enhances participant information and understanding of the trial.
- Utilizing group seminars can significantly reduce the workload for research teams.
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