Practical issues in recruiting and retaining Asian American breast cancer survivors in a technology-based...

Recruiting and retaining racial/ethnic minorities in research remains a significant challenge, often due to mistrust in clinical research and cultural misconceptions related to specific conditions. Despite the anonymity provided by technology-based intervention studies, difficulties in participant recruitment and retention in these studies remain. This paper addresses practical issues in recruiting and retaining Asian American breast cancer survivors with pain and depressive symptoms in a technology-based intervention study.

To identify practical issues in participant recruitment and retention, a content analysis was conducted on all recorded materials, including research diaries of individual research team members, weekly team meeting minutes, and research team members' posts on Microsoft Teams.

Analysis identified six practical issues: (a) strict inclusion/exclusion criteria; (b) multiple stigmas associated with cancer, depressive symptoms, and pain; (c) lack of interest in research participation; (d) closed Asian American communities/groups; (e) frequent technological issues; and (f) potential unauthentic cases.

Addressing these recruitment and retention issues can inform the design of future culturally tailored, technology-based intervention studies for racial and ethnic minority populations.