General Practice and Digital Methods to Recruit Stroke Survivors to a Clinical Mobility Study: Comparative Analysis

Area of Science:

• Clinical Research
• Digital Health
• Stroke Rehabilitation

Background:

• Stroke survivors often face functional and cognitive impairments, complicating clinical trial participation.
• Older adults (65+) are underrepresented in health research, including stroke trials.
• Digital media presents a promising avenue to enhance stroke survivor enrollment in clinical studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of general practice (traditional) versus digital (online) recruitment methods for stroke survivors in a clinical mobility study.

Main Methods:

• A clinical mobility study compared traditional recruitment (registry calls, PT contacts, flyers) with digital methods (Facebook, Google AdWords) from May-June 2019.
• Recruitment speed (enrollment rate) and sample characteristics were primary outcomes.
• Statistical analysis included Lilliefors, Welch two-sample t-test, and Mann-Whitney tests in MATLAB 2019b.

Main Results:

• Digital recruitment enrolled participants faster (1.8/week) than traditional methods (0.57/week).
• Both methods yielded equivalent sample representativeness regarding age and clinical scores.
• Facebook ads proved more cost-effective per click and per enrollee than Google AdWords.

Conclusions:

• Digital recruitment accelerates stroke survivor enrollment while maintaining sample representativeness.
• Both traditional and digital methods are crucial for successful stroke survivor recruitment.
• Future research should explore diverse digital/traditional approaches and cost-effectiveness, focusing on tailored messaging for diverse subgroups.