Recruitment and Retention of Participants
We identify potential study populations and recruit and retain the cohort. Successful enrollment and retention depends on creating clear messages and procedures that minimize the burden on participants while maintaining their interest in the study. We design study pamphlets, study Web sites, clear consent forms, and easy-to-use questionnaires. We maintain contact through thank-you letters and reminder calls, provide feedback in the form of reports or newsletters, and initiate state-of-the-art tracing protocols to minimize the number of participants lost to followup. The Sister Study Web site is a good example of our approach to building and maintaining a dedicated study cohort. See http://www.sisterstudy.org/.
Other participant recruitment examples include the following:
- Clinical populations for a specific disease or exposure: see Genetic, Nutritional, Infectious Disease, and Hormonal Factors in the Etiology of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Random digit dial studies to identify cohorts of controls: see ALS: Role of Environmental Neurotoxins in the Etiology of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
- Parents, teachers, and students in a countywide school population: see Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Prevalence and Case Control Study
- Field study with Spanish-speaking farmworkers to assess neurological function: see Workers Health
- A national cohort of 50,000 volunteer participants: see the Sister Study
- Participants recontacted for followup studies: see Agricultural Health Substudies
- Minority participants targeted enrollment: see Uterine Fibroids: Risk Factors for Uterine Leiomyomas