Abstract
Background: The information given to people considering taking part in a trial needs to be easy to understand if those people are to become, and then remain, trial participants. However, there is a tension between providing comprehensive information and providing information that is comprehensible. User-testing is one method of developing better participant information, and there is evidence that user-tested information is better at informing participants about key issues relating to trials. However, it is not clear if user-testing also leads to changes in the rates of recruitment in trials, compared to standard trial information. As part of a programme of research, we embedded ‘studies within a trial’ (SWATs) across multiple ongoing trials to see if user-tested materials led to better rates of recruitment. Methods: Seven ‘host’ trials included a SWAT evaluation and randomised their participants to receive routine information sheets generated by the research teams, or information sheets optimised through user-testing. We collected data on trial recruitment and analysed the results across these trials using random effects meta-analysis, with the primary outcome defined as the proportion of participants randomised in a host trial following an invitation to take part. Results: Six SWATs (n=27,805) provided data on recruitment. Optimised participant information sheets likely result in little or no difference in recruitment rates (7.2% versus 6.8%, pooled odds ratio = 1.03, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.19, p-value = 0.63, I2 = 0%). Conclusions: Participant information sheets developed through user testing did not improve recruitment rates. The programme of work showed that co-ordinated testing of recruitment strategies using SWATs is feasible and can provide both definitive and timely evidence on the effectiveness of recruitment strategies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 218 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | BMC medicine |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 23 Sept 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 23 Sept 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Acknowledgements: We would like to acknowledge all those in the trial teams who supported this programme of SWATs, including our public contributors (Ailsa Donnelly and Judith Hogg). We also thank Paul Wallace (original MRC START applicant) and Elizabeth Murray (Help Diabetes principal investigator).Funding: The authors wish to acknowledge the MRC Methodology Research Programme which funds this research (MRC grant reference: G1002325). The MRC has no role in the study design; collection, management, analysis and interpretation of data; writing of the report; or the decision to submit the report for publication.
Keywords
- Information
- Randomised controlled trial
- Recruitment
- Research methodology
- SWATs
- User-testing
Access to Document
- Madurasinghe_etal_BMCM_Can_we_achieve_vor
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