Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
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Practical Recruitment in Research for fun and profit -A
research nurse perspective.
Person presenting: Claire S. Leathem RGN,BSc(Hons).
Address: General Practice, School of Medicine & Dentistry, Public
Health Medicine and Primary Care, Queens University Belfast,
Dunluce Health Centre, 1 Dunluce Avenue,Belfast BT9 7HR.
Phone (Dept): +44 28 9020 4252
Phone (Direct): +44 28 9020 4297
Fax No: +44 28 9031 0202
Mobile: +44 77 1003 0399
Email: c.leathem@qub.ac.uk
All Authors:
Leathem C.S. RGN BSc (Hons), [a], Byrne M.C PhD, [b], Cupples
M.E. MD, [a], Smith S.M. MD, [c], & Murphy A.W.MD, [b].
f) Public Health Medicine & Primary Care, School of Medicine and
Dentistry, Queen’s University Belfast, Dunluce Health Centre,
1 Dunluce Avenue, Belfast BT9 7HR, Northern Ireland.
g) Department of General Practice, Clinical Sciences Institute,
National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
h) Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Trinity College
Centre for Health Sciences, Adelaide and Meath Hospital,
Tallaght, Dublin 24.
Introduction
The challenge of successfully recruiting and retaining patients and
practitioners to participate in studies which require changes in their
everyday practice has been reported widely. Maintaining facilitative
and supportive relationships throughout the duration of a study
without compromising standards of good clinical practice and
scientific rigour is an endeavor that may be likened to juggling
numerous fragile balls. However practical guidance for researchers
seeking maximal recruitment to randomised controlled trials is
scant.
Our aim was to identify practical guidance for improving recruitment
to future research studies in general practice based on the
experience of issues encountered in a randomised controlled trial of
an intervention for secondary prevention in coronary heart disease.
We used a stepped approach method to deliver information about
the study, matching details provided to questions asked after initial
contact and ensured support provided was tailored to changes in
the research setting. Forty eight general practices located across
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