Facilitators and barriers to successful recruitment into a large comparative effectiveness trial: a qualitative study

Summary

Recruitment of participants into research studies, especially individuals from minority groups, is challenging; lack of diversity may lead to biased findings. In this article, published in the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research, researchers led by Stephanie Behringer-Massera (Icahn School of Medicine; NY, USA), explore the beliefs about research participation among individuals who were approached and eligible for the GRADE study.

Researchers performed in-depth, qualitative telephone interviews with 25 randomized participants and 26 eligible individuals who declined to enroll in the GRADE study. The results of the study analysis highlighted differences in refusers and consenters perceptions of risk, benefits and burden of trial participation. Few participants understood how comparative effectiveness research differed from other types of trials; however, some features of comparative effectiveness research were perceived as lower risk.