A Conceptual Model to Promote the Retention of Women with Physical Disabilities in Research

Inadequate participant recruitment and retention practices can affect sample representativeness and thus the generalizability of research findings. Retention of research participants has been examined within the literature to some extent; however, there is no consensus on best practice in achieving acceptable results. Furthermore, there is a gap in understanding how to engage and retain women with physical disabilities (WPDs) in research. To address these oversights, we review (1) the significance of retention as a methodological concern, (2) factors that influence the involvement and retention of participants in research, including individual, population, and health-illness considerations, and (3) particular circumstances impacting the inclusion and retention of WPDs in research. On the basis of a review of the literature and our experience with the Healing Pathways randomized controlled trial (RCT), we present a conceptual model to guide culturally sensitive health research implementation with WPDs, and promote the engagement and retention of this group in RCTs and other forms of interventional health research.