Recruitment through media and general practitioners resulted in comparable samples in an RCT on incontinence

The objective of the study was to assess the impact of recruitment strategy on the baseline characteristics of patients recruited in a randomized controlled trial for treating women with urinary incontinence.

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from an earlier trial. Women were recruited through the media (including social media) or from participating general practices. Baseline characteristics were compared by univariate testing. Logistic regression analysis was performed to study the association between recruitment type and multiple baseline characteristics.

The only differences between recruitment methods were in patient age, with those recruited through the media being significantly older than those recruited through general practice. The mean age difference was 5.0 years (95% confidence interval: 2.2-7.9).

Samples recruited through the media and through case identification were largely comparable. Therefore, recruitment through the media may be a viable alternative to recruitment through primary care. This may be especially relevant for research on eHealth treatment for conditions with which patients experience barriers when seeking health care.