Screening Out False Participants in Research Recruitment from Social Media Groups

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Digital Health
• Patient Recruitment

Background:

• Social media platforms offer novel avenues for nurse researchers to engage potential study participants.
• Recruitment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) survivors via social media survivorship groups presents challenges, including the enrollment of fraudulent and duplicate participants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and mitigate risks associated with participant recruitment in social media-based research groups.
• To provide best practice recommendations for nurse researchers to ensure data integrity when recruiting online.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of recruitment experiences within social media survivorship groups for ARDS survivors.
• Development of screening strategies based on lessons learned during the recruitment process.

Main Results:

• Risk of enrolling false and duplicate participants is significant in social media recruitment.
• Effective screening strategies include avoiding direct survey links, employing video interviews or home visits for identity verification, using targeted screening questions, and carefully considering the inclusion of international groups.

Conclusions:

• Nurse researchers must implement robust screening protocols to prevent false and duplicate participant enrollment in social media studies.
• Adoption of recommended practices enhances the trustworthiness of data collected from online participant recruitment.
• Nurses integrating research findings into practice should critically evaluate the methodological rigor of participant screening in published studies to ensure data integrity.