Recruitment Strategies to Prevent Fraudulent Virtual Enrollment While Respecting Privacy in Vulnerable Populations

Area of Science:

• Qualitative research methodologies
• Public health and epidemiology
• Vulnerable populations research

Background:

• Qualitative research with vulnerable populations presents unique recruitment challenges.
• Stigma and confidentiality concerns can impact participant willingness to engage.
• Compensating participants may inadvertently attract ineligible individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the challenges of recruiting people who considered breastfeeding while living with HIV.
• To detail how recruitment efforts led to the enrollment of non-eligible individuals.
• To discuss strategies for balancing participant privacy with study integrity.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative in-depth interview study design.
• Focus on recruitment strategies for a stigmatized population.
• Description of breach discovery and subsequent actions.

Main Results:

• Efforts to respect participant privacy led to the enrollment of ineligible individuals.
• Study integrity was threatened by participants misrepresenting the target population.
• The breach was discovered, and corrective actions were implemented.

Conclusions:

• Ensuring scientific validity requires robust recruitment methods, especially with vulnerable groups.
• Balancing privacy needs with study integrity is crucial for ethical and valid research.
• Developing effective approaches to reach vulnerable populations while respecting privacy is essential.