Operationalising Patient Engagement Through the Alberta Cancer Diagnosis Initiative: Recruitment Strategies for...

Engaging diverse populations is critical for designing effective healthcare initiatives. However, strategies for recruiting participants to ensure meaningful engagement, particularly among harder-to-reach groups, remain underexplored. This study examines recruitment approaches used in the Alberta Cancer Diagnosis Initiative (ACDI) in Alberta, Canada, to address challenges in cancer diagnosis.

A qualitative study, including seven interviews and four focus groups with 10 members of the ACDI project team (none of them patients or community members) and a review of 20 internal ACDI documents, was undertaken. Data were analysed using inductive coding, focusing on identifying recruitment strategies for engaging participants from diverse groups and considerations for facilitating recruitment.

Early commitment to diversity and relationship-building informed recruitment strategies, including working with community brokers and health system navigators. Barriers included a limited time within the grant cycle to develop strong relationships with population groups. The team's capacity to learn from emerging issues, like intersectionality and language, was crucial to developing an adaptive approach to recruitment.

Tailored and adaptive strategies, particularly broker- and community-based approaches, are crucial for engaging diverse groups. Lessons learned can inform future initiatives seeking to involve these groups in healthcare decision-making and programme development.

Patients and community members were actively involved in the ACDI during its planning and development. Their contributions informed engagement activities, ensuring the inclusion of diverse perspectives. This study examined the ACDI project team's perspectives on recruitment strategies and lessons learned, highlighting the importance of adaptive, community-based approaches in engaging diverse participants.