Recruitment from clinical studies

Referrals from related clinical studies represent a recruitment source with a relatively low volume of initial contacts, moderate volume of entries, a high ratio of entries to initial contacts and a relatively low effort level requirement for the recipient recruitment team. In the CPPT, this source provided overall 1% of initial contacts, 9% of first protocol visits and 11% of entries. Referrals were obtained from three major clinical studies. Approximately two-thirds of the total entries from this source were derived from the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial and almost three-fourths of these were accounted for by the Minnesota LRC. The recruitment campaign conducted at this center is highlighted. Recruitment costs were usually low with this strategy. The combination of low costs and high efficiency make clinical studies referrals attractive. Such referrals may not always be available, but if they are, every effort should be made to maximize their use.