Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026
07:14
Virtual Agent for Real-Time Motivational Interviewing by Integrating Adaptive Nonverbal Behavior and Language Models
Published on: December 23, 2025
Association between interactive voice response adherence and subject retention in a randomized controlled trial
Christopher S Gatehouse1, Howard A Tennen, Richard S Feinn
1School of Dental Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030-1605, USA.
Contemporary Clinical Trials
|April 10, 2012
Summary
High adherence to weekly Interactive Voice Response (IVR) calls predicts patient retention in clinical trials. Poor IVR adherence can signal early withdrawal, aiding in subject retention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Trials
- Patient Reported Outcomes
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology facilitates patient data collection via telephone.
- This study investigated the relationship between IVR adherence and subject retention in a year-long clinical trial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if adherence to weekly IVR calls correlates with participant retention in a clinical trial.
- To explore the predictive value of IVR adherence for successful study completion.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 160 participants for recurrent aphthous stomatitis.
- Participants were instructed to make one weekly IVR call over the one-year study duration.
Main Results:
- Study completers (114 subjects) made 90.5% of expected IVR calls, versus 55.7% for premature withdrawers (46 subjects) (p<0.001).
- Completers were more likely to initiate IVR calls (p<0.001).
- A multivariable model using adherence variables predicted retention status with over 80% accuracy; early adherence was a strong predictor of retention.
Conclusions:
- Sub-optimal IVR adherence may serve as an early indicator of potential premature withdrawal from clinical trials.
- IVR adherence can potentially be utilized as a screening tool to identify participants likely to remain in long-term studies.
- Improved IVR adherence strategies could enhance subject retention and reduce bias from missing data in clinical research.
Related Concept Videos
01:11Blinding
Blinding is a commonly used method of not telling participants which treatment a subject is receiving. Blinding is a critical part of a randomized control trial or RCT. It reduces the bias that affects the results. In an RCT, blinding is used in the form of a placebo. A placebo effect occurs when untreated subjects falsely believe they have received the treatment and report improved symptoms. A placebo or a dummy treatment is administered to subjects to negate the bias caused by such an effect.
01:15Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients
Bioavailability studies are essential for evaluating a drug's therapeutic efficacy and understanding its absorption patterns under various physiological conditions. Conducting such studies on target patient populations provides more relevant data by simulating real-world disease states. However, practical challenges often necessitate the use of young, healthy adult volunteers as study subjects.Patients may exhibit altered drug absorption patterns due to the effects of the disease itself,...
02:07Blind Procedures
Ideally, the people who observe and record the children’s behavior are unaware of who was assigned to the experimental or control group, in order to control for experimenter bias. Experimenter bias refers to the possibility that a researcher’s expectations might skew the results of the study. Remember, conducting an experiment requires a lot of planning, and the people involved in the research project have a vested interest in supporting their hypotheses. If the observers knew which child was...