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Centralized registry for COVID-19 research recruitment: Design, development, implementation, and preliminary results
Anna Peeler1,2, Hailey Miller2,3, Oluwabunmi Ogungbe1,2
1Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Insights
A digital registry effectively recruited participants for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) research, connecting over 4,500 volunteers with study teams. This strategy proved vital for timely COVID-19 clinical research during the pandemic.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Clinical Research
- Health Informatics
Background:
- The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused significant global health challenges, necessitating urgent clinical research.
- Efficient participant recruitment for COVID-19 studies was hindered by pandemic-related constraints.
- Recruitment registries emerged as a promising solution for overcoming recruitment difficulties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and implement a digital research recruitment registry for COVID-19 studies in Baltimore.
- To enhance participant awareness and enrollment for COVID-19 research initiatives.
- To report preliminary outcomes of the implemented digital registry.
Main Methods:
- The registry planning commenced in March 2020, with launch in July 2020.
- Recruitment utilized electronic health records, testing site postcards, and digital advertising.
- A Research Electronic Data Capture survey with branching logic identified eligible participants for studies.
Main Results:
- By March 2021, 9,010 participants enrolled, predominantly female (64.2%) and White (80.6%).
- Phone outreach yielded the highest response rate (13.1%), followed by email, text, and patient portal messages.
- The registry facilitated 4,596 matches between 11 study teams and interested volunteers.
Conclusions:
- Efficient recruitment strategies are crucial for time-sensitive COVID-19 research.
- The pilot digital registry successfully connected interested participants with research study teams.
- This approach demonstrates the value of digital registries in accelerating clinical research enrollment.
Background:
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had substantial global morbidity and mortality. Clinical research related to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19 is a top priority. Effective and efficient recruitment is challenging even without added constraints of a global pandemic. Recruitment registries offer a potential solution to slow or difficult recruitment.
Objectives:
The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and implementation of a digital research recruitment registry to optimize awareness and participant enrollment for COVID-19-related research in Baltimore and to report preliminary results.
Methods:
Planning began in March 2020, and the registry launched in July 2020. The primary recruitment mechanisms include electronic medical record data, postcards distributed at testing sites, and digital advertising campaigns. Following consent in a Research Electronic Data Capture survey, participants answer questions related to COVID-19 exposure, testing, and willingness to participate in research. Branching logic presents participants with studies they might be eligible for.
Results:
As of March 24, 2021, 9010 participants have enrolled, and 64.2% are female, 80.6% are White, 9.4% are Black or African American, and 6% are Hispanic or Latino. Phone outreach has had the highest response rate (13.1%), followed by email (11.9%), text (11.4%), and patient portal message (9.4%). Eleven study teams have utilized the registry, and 4596 matches have been made between study teams and interested volunteers.
Conclusion:
Effective and efficient recruitment strategies are more important now than ever due to the time-limited nature of COVID-19 research. Pilot efforts have been successful in connecting interested participants with recruiting study teams.
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