Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Clinical Trials01:16

Clinical Trials

8.5K
Clinical trials are prospective experimental studies conducted on humans to determine the safety and efficacy of treatments, drugs, diet methods, and medical devices. Using statistics in clinical trials enables researchers to derive reasonable and accurate conclusions from the collected data, allowing them to make wise decisions in uncertain situations. In medical research, statistical methods are crucial for preventing errors and bias.
There are four phases in a clinical trial. A phase one...
8.5K
Randomized Experiments01:13

Randomized Experiments

6.3K
The randomization process involves assigning study participants randomly to experimental or control groups based on their probability of being equally assigned. Randomization is meant to eliminate selection bias and balance known and unknown confounding factors so that the control group is similar to the treatment group as much as possible. A computer program and a random number generator can be used to assign participants to groups in a way that minimizes bias.
Simple randomization
Simple...
6.3K
Clinical Trials: Overview01:11

Clinical Trials: Overview

4.6K
Clinical development focuses on how the drug will interact with the human body and encompasses four key phases of clinical trials, each serving a specific purpose in assessing the safety and effectiveness of new drugs. These phases overlap and build upon one another. Phase I involves a small group of healthy volunteers (typically 20-80 individuals) or, in cases where significant toxicity is expected, patients with the targeted disease, such as cancer or AIDS. The volunteers are tested for...
4.6K
Blinding01:11

Blinding

2.9K
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.
2.9K
Study Designs in Epidemiology01:20

Study Designs in Epidemiology

1.6K
Epidemiological study designs are fundamental tools for investigating the distribution, determinants, and control of health conditions in populations. They help researchers understand the relationships between exposures and outcomes, and they broadly fall into two categories: "observational" and "experimental" studies.
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and...
1.6K
Blind Procedures02:07

Blind Procedures

10.7K
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...
10.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Evaluating Additional Roles in Primary Care: Expanding Capacity and Transforming Care Delivery.

The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners·2026
Same author

Implementation of a comprehensive template to support personalised care for people with multiple long-term conditions: a mixed-methods evaluation in primary care.

BMJ open·2026
Same author

Nurses delivering person-centred multiple long-term condition reviews in primary care: a secondary analysis of qualitative data.

BJGP open·2026
Same author

Consultation complexity and professionals consulted: a retrospective cohort study in English primary care.

The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners·2026
Same author

Safety-netting communication during telephone consultations: an observational study using recorded consultations.

The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners·2026
Same author

Non-adherence in randomised controlled trials: empirical comparison of treatment policy and efficacy estimands using individual participant data.

BMC medical research methodology·2026
Same journal

Evaluation of the effect of a long inspiratory ramp time during pressure-controlled ventilation with volume guarantee: study protocol for a randomized, controlled trial.

Trials·2026
Same journal

Impact of tranexamic acid on early allograft dysfunction following liver transplantation: study design for a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Trials·2026
Same journal

SWAT 116: the effectiveness of an infographic to improve trial recruitment-a randomised study within a trial (SWAT).

Trials·2026
Same journal

Nurse counselors' experiences of recruitment and retention of female sex workers in a HIV vaccine trial: a qualitative study from urban Tanzania.

Trials·2026
Same journal

Treatment of genitourinary syndrome of menopause with fractional COâ‚‚ laser versus fractional microablative radiofrequency: study protocol for a double-blind, randomised, non-inferiority trial.

Trials·2026
Same journal

TaILOR: a randomised trial to compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a patient-initiated follow-up (PIFU) strategy compared to standard care pathways in people with inflammatory arthritis: a study protocol.

Trials·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 21, 2026

A Clinical Trial Assessing the Safety, Efficacy, and Delivery of Olive-Oil-Based Three-Chamber Bags for Parenteral Nutrition
04:53

A Clinical Trial Assessing the Safety, Efficacy, and Delivery of Olive-Oil-Based Three-Chamber Bags for Parenteral Nutrition

Published on: September 20, 2019

10.1K

Systematic techniques for assisting recruitment to trials (START): study protocol for embedded, randomized controlled

Jo Rick, Jonathan Graffy, Peter Knapp

  • 1Medical Research Council North West Hub for Trials Methodology Research, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Centre for Primary Care, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. peter.bower@manchester.ac.uk.

Trials
|October 27, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Recruiting and retaining participants in clinical trials is difficult. The Systematic Techniques for Assisting Recruitment to Trials (START) program aims to improve trial recruitment strategies through embedded trials and evidence generation.

More Related Videos

E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
06:28

E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy

Published on: August 1, 2019

8.0K
A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
14:43

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting

Published on: January 12, 2018

14.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 21, 2026

A Clinical Trial Assessing the Safety, Efficacy, and Delivery of Olive-Oil-Based Three-Chamber Bags for Parenteral Nutrition
04:53

A Clinical Trial Assessing the Safety, Efficacy, and Delivery of Olive-Oil-Based Three-Chamber Bags for Parenteral Nutrition

Published on: September 20, 2019

10.1K
E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
06:28

E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy

Published on: August 1, 2019

8.0K
A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
14:43

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting

Published on: January 12, 2018

14.4K

Area of Science:

  • Clinical Trials Methodology
  • Evidence-Based Practice
  • Health Services Research

Background:

  • Participant recruitment and retention pose significant challenges in randomized controlled trials.
  • A lack of evidence hinders the development of effective recruitment and retention strategies for research teams.
  • Embedded trials, which test recruitment strategies within host trials, are rarely conducted.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To support the routine adoption of embedded trials for testing standardized recruitment interventions.
  • To develop guidelines for the design, analysis, and reporting of embedded recruitment studies.
  • To develop effective recruitment interventions and test them through embedded studies.

Main Methods:

  • The Systematic Techniques for Assisting Recruitment to Trials (START) program utilizes a three-work-package approach: methodology, interventions, and implementation.
  • Methodology work package focuses on creating guidelines for embedded trial design, analysis, and reporting.
  • Implementation involves recruiting host trials to test interventions via embedded studies.

Main Results:

  • The START program is funded by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) Methodology Research Programme.
  • The program aims to establish a platform for evaluating recruitment interventions within the broader trials community.
  • It will enhance the evidence base for specific recruitment intervention types.

Conclusions:

  • The START program will provide a model for evaluating recruitment and other trial conduct interventions.
  • Successful completion will increase the evidence base for recruitment interventions.
  • This initiative supports the wider trials community in improving trial conduct.