Staff training to improve participant recruitment into surgical randomised controlled trials: A feasibility study within a trial (SWAT) across four host trials simultaneously

A Parker* (Corresponding Author), Catherine Arundel, Nicola Mills, Leila Rooshenas, M A Jepson, J. L. Donovan, Jane M Blazeby, Elizabeth Coleman, L Clark, Laura Doherty, Catherine A Hewitt, P Partha Sarathy , David J Beard, Peter Bower, S Brealey, P. Brocklehurst, C Cooper, J Crofts, L Culliford, J DiasDeclan Devane, sandra eldridge, Richard Emsley, S Galvin, E Gemperle-Mannion, D Jayne, A Metcalfe, A Montgomery, A Rangan, C Sutton, P Tharmanathan , Shaun Treweek, D Torgerson

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Objective
To test the feasibility of undertaking a simultaneous Study Within A Trial (SWAT) to train staff who recruit participants into surgical randomised controlled trials (RCTs), by assessing key uncertainties around recruitment, randomisation, intervention delivery and data collection.
Study design and setting
Twelve surgical RCTs were eligible. Interested sites (clusters) were randomised 1:1, with recruiting staff (surgeons and nurses) offered training or no training. The primary outcome was the feasibility of recruiting sites across multiple surgical trials simultaneously. Secondary outcomes included numbers/types of staff enrolled, attendance at training, training acceptability, confidence in recruiting and participant recruitment rates six months later.

Results
Four RCTs (33%) comprising 91 sites participated. Of these, 29 sites agreed to participate (32%) and were randomised to intervention (15 sites, 29 staff) or control (14 sites, 29 staff). Research nurses attended and found the training to be acceptable; no surgeons attended. In the intervention group, there was evidence of increased confidence when pre and post training scores were compared (mean difference in change 1.42; 95% CI 0.56, 2.27; p = 0.002) – there was no effect on recruitment rate.

Conclusion
It was feasible to randomise sites across four surgical RCTs in a simultaneous SWAT design. However, as small numbers of trials and sites participated, and no surgeons attended training, strategies to improve these aspects are needed for future evaluations.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2-15
Number of pages14
JournalResearch Methods in Medicine & Health Sciences
Volume4
Issue number1
Early online date15 Jun 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2023

Bibliographical note

The PROMoting THE Use of SWATs (PROMETHEUS) programme was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) [grant number MR/R013748/1].
The DISC host trial is funded by the Health Technology Assessment Programme (Grant Ref: 15/102/04). IntAct is funded by the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme, an MRC and NIHR partnership (Grant Ref: 14/150/62). The EME Programme is funded by the MRC and NIHR, with contributions from the CSO in Scotland and Health and Care Research Wales and the HSC R&D Division, Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland. PROFHER-2 is funded by the Health Technology Assessment Programme (Grant Ref: 16/73/03). START: REACTS is funded by the NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Co-ordinating Centre (NETSCC); Grant Codes: 16/61/18.
The development of the training intervention was funded by the MRC Network of Hubs for Trials Methodology Research (MR/L004933/1- R53) and supported by the MRC ConDuCT-II Hub (Collaboration and innovation for Difficult and Complex randomized controlled Trials In Invasive procedures - MR/K025643/1). The online version of the training intervention was funded by the NIHR and is hosted on the NIHR Learn platform (https://learn.nihr.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=385). It is based on the face-to face GRANULE training course funded by the Bowel Disease Research Foundation in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, University of Bristol and former MRC ConDuCT-II Hub.
This work was part-funded by the Wellcome Trust [ref: 204829] through the Centre for Future Health (CFH) at the University of York.
The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, the MRC or the Department of Health and Social Care. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the article.

Data Availability Statement

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Keywords

  • randomised controlled trial (RCT)
  • Study within a trial (SWAT)
  • recruitment
  • staff training
  • professional education
  • feasibility study
  • surgical trials

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