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Recruiting hard-to-engage groups to online psychosocial interventions: Experiences from an RCT study targeting adolescents with a visible difference

Kling, Johanna; Nordgreen, Tine; Kvalem, Ingela L; Williamson, Heidi; Feragen, Kristin B

Recruiting hard-to-engage groups to online psychosocial interventions: Experiences from an RCT study targeting adolescents with a visible difference Thumbnail


Authors

Johanna Kling

Tine Nordgreen

Ingela L Kvalem

Heidi Williamson Heidi3.Williamson@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Professor in Applied Health Research

Kristin B Feragen



Abstract

Online interventions have the potential to reach individuals who are otherwise difficult to engage due to stigma and sensitive topics. However, these individuals also tend to be hard to recruit in clinical trials, a crucial step in order to provide evidence-based interventions. This highlights a need for more information about efficient recruitment strategies for difficult-to-engage groups. The present study aimed to share the systematised experiences of recruiting adolescents with a visible difference to an online psychosocial intervention RCT. With the intention to recruit 160 participants (age 12–17), recruitment efforts were nationwide and included multiple arenas (e.g., hospitals, schools, social media), and methods (e.g., in-consultation, targeted letters, posters). Ultimately, 102 participants were recruited, and results showed that recruitment involving patient organisations, hospital departments, and specialised resource centres were most successful in reaching participants. The most efficient recruitment strategy was targeted letters sent home to eligible patients/members, as 78% of the participants were recruited this way. Media and social media recruitment efforts yielded comparatively few participants. No participants were recruited through schools and educational health care services, primary health care services, or municipal and regional authorities. Our results are discussed in relation to barriers with recruiting difficult-to-engage groups to RCTs, providing useful recruitment tools to future similar studies. For instance, future studies are recommended to utilise targeted approaches over general population approaches. Also, results from recruitment efforts should routinely be reported, as this ultimately will provide more general strategies for effective recruitment and support studies in reaching recruitment goals.

Citation

Kling, J., Nordgreen, T., Kvalem, I. L., Williamson, H., & Feragen, K. B. (2021). Recruiting hard-to-engage groups to online psychosocial interventions: Experiences from an RCT study targeting adolescents with a visible difference. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 24, Article 100869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conctc.2021.100869

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 15, 2021
Online Publication Date Nov 18, 2021
Publication Date 2021-12
Deposit Date Nov 15, 2021
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 24
Article Number 100869
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conctc.2021.100869
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/8083968

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