Recruiters' lived experiences in COVID-19 vaccine trials in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to widespread COVID-19 vaccine trials globally, with South Africa hosting many of these studies. Participant recruitment for these trials has been hindered by vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, distrust and pandemic-related restrictions.

This study explored the experiences and perceptions of recruiters involved in COVID-19 vaccine trials in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, focusing on recruitment facilitators, barriers and strategies.

Six clinical trial sites in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.

Using a qualitative phenomenological approach within an interpretive paradigm, researchers conducted in-depth online interviews via Microsoft Teams with 14 recruiters selected through non-probability purposive sampling. Field notes supplemented the interviews, and thematic analysis with open coding identified key themes.

Analysis of recruiters' lived experiences revealed four main themes: (1) motivations driving participation, (2) barriers faced in the field, (3) strategies used to engage communities and facilitate enrolment and (4) recruiters' insights for improving future recruitment success.

This study identified the difficulties recruiters faced in enrolling participants in COVID-19 vaccine trials in eThekwini, and the reasons why participants chose to take part. Insights from recruiters can inform strategies to strengthen participant recruitment in future clinical trials.

This research provides context-specific recommendations for improving recruitment during public health emergencies, with implications for future trials in similar settings.