Recruiting children onto research studies by the Scottish Primary Care Research Network: a real team effort

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Research
• Primary Care Medicine
• Clinical Study Recruitment

Background:

• Recruiting participants for research studies, especially in pediatrics, presents significant challenges.
• This study reports on the experiences of recruiting children into five distinct research studies conducted within primary care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of primary care-based recruitment strategies for pediatric research.
• To identify factors influencing practice and patient participation in pediatric primary care studies.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Scottish Primary Care Research Network (SPCRN) to identify eligible participants from primary care lists.
• Collected data on the number of potential participants, recruitment proportions, and influencing factors for five pediatric studies.

Main Results:

• A total of 4910 individuals were identified, with 367 (7%) recruited across the studies.
• Practice recruitment rates varied from 7% to 44%.
• Previous participation in research and patient affluence positively correlated with recruitment, while adults were more likely to participate than children.

Conclusions:

• General practices can accommodate research despite clinical workloads, emphasizing the need for effective communication among primary care professionals, researchers, and patients.
• Primary care is crucial for generating evidence-based medicine, and networks like SPCRN can facilitate this.
• Enhanced strategies are needed to improve pediatric participation in primary care research.