Recruiting older men for geriatric suicide research

Area of Science:

• Geriatric psychiatry
• Clinical trial methodology
• Suicidology

Background:

• Effective suicide prevention interventions for the elderly require robust clinical research.
• Recruiting suicidal older adults for research presents unique challenges.
• Limited data exists on optimal recruitment strategies for this demographic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the success and efficiency of five distinct recruitment strategies.
• To identify the most effective methods for enrolling suicidal older men in a clinical trial.
• To inform future research on suicide prevention in geriatric populations.

Main Methods:

• Assessed numbers of individuals approached, screened, and enrolled for each strategy.
• Calculated expenses and time investment per enrollment.
• Included men aged 60+ with suicidal ideation in the past month.

Main Results:

• 33 out of 955 individuals were enrolled in the trial.
• The Veterans Affairs Behavioral Health Laboratory yielded the most enrollments.
• This source also proved to be the most time and cost-efficient recruitment strategy.

Conclusions:

• Collaborative relationships between researchers and healthcare providers are key to successful recruitment.
• Leveraging existing patient research infrastructure enhances recruitment efficiency.
• These principles can improve the enrollment of older adults in suicide prevention research.