Direct-to-participant recruitment of mothers and infants: A strategic approach during challenging pandemic times

Autor: Stefany Olague, Helen Boyle, Imtiaz Ahmed, Basharat Buchh, Giang Sinh T. Truong, Brent Reyburn, Clarissa DeLeon, Grace C. Lin, Kaashif A. Ahmad, Barbara Carr, Meghali Singhal, Melissa Althouse, Raymond Castro, Anthony Rudine, Evelyn Rider, Melissa L. Macomber-Estill, Bradley Doles, Jenelle F. Ferry, Hector Pierantoni, Savannah Sutherland, Reese H. Clark, Courtney K. Blackwell, P. Brian Smith, Daniel K. Benjamin, Jr., Rachel G. Greenberg
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, Vol 38, Iss , Pp 101261- (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2451-8654
DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2024.101261
Popis: Under traditional circumstances, most clinical trials rely on in-person operations to identify, recruit, and enroll study participants and to complete study-related visits. During unusual circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the typical clinical trial model is challenged and forced to explore alternative approaches to implementing study recruitment, participant enrollment, and data collection strategies. One such alternative is a direct-to-participant approach which leverages electronic resources and relevant technological devices (e.g., smart phones) available to researchers and patients. This approach functions under the assumption that a participant has access to a device that connects to the internet such as a smart phone, tablet, or computer. Researchers are then able to transition a typical paper-based, in-person model to an electronic-based, siteless, remote study. This article describes the challenges clinicians and researchers faced when implementing a direct-to-participant study approach during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lessons learned during this study of infant populations could help increase efficiency of future trials, specifically, by lessening the burden on participants and clinicians as well as streamlining the process for enrollment and data collection. While direct-to-adult participant recruitment is not a novel approach, our findings suggest that studies attempting to recruit the infant population may benefit from such a direct-to-participant approach.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals