OM t of c.iii - Vision Research Coordinating Center - Washington ...

2/1/99 Chapter 4 Recruitment, Education, Consent page 4-3
Form), it is part of the Study-related care at that visit. If the procedure is not on the
CLEK Examination Form or if it is a non-CLEK Study Visit, it constitutes non-Study
related care.
4.5 Recruitment Publicity
Keratoconus patients who are regular patients of the CLEK Clinic are the best
candidates for the CLEK Study. Each Clinician should inform the other clinicians at his
or her site of the need to inform him or her of any keratoconus patient or keratoconus
suspect examined in the Clinic so that they may be screened for potential inclusion in
the study. This is best done by presentations to all clinicians and by written
memorandum to all clinicians and clinic staff. Initially this should be done in writing
weekly for one month and then monthly for the remaining 9 months of the enrollment
period.
Other methods of patient recruitment include:
• Announcements of the CLEK Study at local, state, and national research and
continuing education meetings. A slide presentation will be provided to each
Clinic Principal and Co-Investigator for use in such presentations.
• Letters to colleagues requesting that they refer keratoconus patients to the
Participating Clinic. These letters should be sent to every eye care practitioner in
the Clinic’s area. Clinic Principal Investigators will be supplied with “CLEK
Affiliate Doctors’ Certificates” to use in conjunction with their referring doctors.
Referring doctors will receive CLEK Study patient newsletters.
• Review of medical records of keratoconus patients and recalling these patients for
screening for possible inclusion in the CLEK Study. This should be done by
telephone calls (two, if necessary), then with at least two recall letters, and finally
another telephone call.
• Instructing Participating Clinic keratoconus patients and other Clinic patients
about the CLEK Study with the CLEK patient brochure or by letter.
Recruitment materials will be provided by the CLEK Executive Committee to the
CLEK Participating Clinics. Use of other materials will require approval by the CLEK
Executive Committee prior to their use.
4.6 Informing Other Clinics of Successful Recruitment Strategies
Each Participating Clinician will give a brief report of his or her Clinic’s
recruitment strategies and his or her degree of success with those strategies at each