Application of Innovative Subject Recruitment System for Batch Enrollment: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Clinical Trials
• Health Informatics
• Biomedical Research

Background:

• Traditional clinical trial enrollment faces challenges with efficiency and participant representation.
• Electronic health records (EHRs) offer potential for streamlining recruitment processes.
• Digital technologies can address inefficiencies in subject recruitment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a technology-enabled subject recruitment system (TESRS) for automated batch enrollment.
• To compare TESRS with traditional mailing methods in terms of recruitment speed, staff time, and participant demographics.
• To determine if TESRS enhances recruitment while maintaining representation of research subjects.

Main Methods:

• A community-based prospective adult cohort study randomized 600 eligible subjects.
• Subjects were assigned to either TESRS (n=300) or standard mailing (n=300) for 3 months.
• TESRS utilized EHRs for patient contact preference, automated invitations, online surveys, and digital consent, with comparisons on time to consent, recruitment numbers, staff time, and sociodemographic representation.

Main Results:

• TESRS achieved a similar consent rate (13%) compared to standard mailing (11%) over 3 months.
• Recruitment was significantly faster with TESRS (median 7 days) versus standard mailing (median 26 days).
• TESRS saved an estimated 40 minutes of study staff time per subject and showed no significant differences in participant sociodemographic characteristics.

Conclusions:

• TESRS is a valuable digital recruitment technology that significantly enhances recruitment efficiency.
• The system reduces study staff burden associated with participant recruitment.
• TESRS maintains the consistency of recruited subjects' characteristics, supporting its implementation in diverse study settings.