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Goin-Kochel RP, Lozano I, Duhon G, Marzano G, Daniels A, Law JK, Diehl K, Green Snyder L, Feliciano P, Chung WK. Evidence-based recruitment strategies for clinical research: Study personnel's and research participants' perceptions about successful methods of outreach for a U.S. Autism-Research Cohort. J Clin Transl Sci 2024; 8:e65. [PMID: 38690223 PMCID: PMC11058577 DOI: 10.1017/cts.2024.512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Under enrollment of participants in clinical research is costly and delays study completion to impact public health. Given that research personnel make decisions about which strategies to pursue and participants are the recipients of these efforts, we surveyed research staff (n = 52) and participants (n = 4,144) affiliated with SPARK (Simons Foundation Powering Autism for Knowledge) - the largest study of autism in the U.S. - to understand their perceptions of effective recruitment strategies. Methods In Study 1, research personnel were asked to report recruitment strategies that they tried for SPARK and to indicate which ones they would and would not repeat/recommend. In Study 2, SPARK participants were asked to indicate all the ways they heard about the study prior to enrollment and which one was most influential in their decisions to enroll. Results Staff rated speaking with a SPARK-study-team member (36.5%), speaking with a medical provider (19.2%), word of mouth (11.5%), and a live TV news story (11.5%) as the most successful strategies. Participants most often heard about SPARK via social media (47.0%), speaking with a medical provider (23.1%), and an online search (20.1%). Research personnel's and participants' views on effective recruitment strategies often differed, with the exception of speaking with a medical provider. Conclusion Results suggest that a combination of strategies is likely to be most effective in reaching diverse audiences. Findings have implications for the selection of strategies that meet a study's specific needs, as well as recruitment-strategy "combinations" that may enhance the influence of outreach efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin P. Goin-Kochel
- Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ivana Lozano
- Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gabrielle Duhon
- Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gabriela Marzano
- Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Amy Daniels
- Simons Foundation, New York, NY, USA
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J. Kiely Law
- Simons Foundation, New York, NY, USA
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katharine Diehl
- Simons Foundation, New York, NY, USA
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Pamela Feliciano
- Simons Foundation, New York, NY, USA
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wendy K. Chung
- Simons Foundation, New York, NY, USA
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Simon AR, Ahmed KL, Limon DL, Duhon GF, Marzano G, Goin-Kochel RP. Utilization of a Best Practice Alert (BPA) at Point-of-Care for Recruitment into a US-Based Autism Research Study. J Autism Dev Disord 2023; 53:359-369. [PMID: 35089434 PMCID: PMC9329488 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05444-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Provider referral is one of the most influential factors in research recruitment. To ease referral burden on providers, we adapted the Best Practice Alert (BPA) in the EPIC Electronic Health Record and assessed its utility in recruiting pediatric patients with autism spectrum disorder for the national SPARK study. During a year-long surveillance, 1203 (64.0%) patients were Interested in SPARK and 223 enrolled. Another 754 participants not recruited via the BPA also enrolled; 35.5% of these participants completed their participation compared to 58.3% of BPA-referred participants. Results suggest that (a) a BPA can successfully engage providers in the study-referral process and (b) families who learn about research through their providers may be more engaged and effectively retained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea R Simon
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Autism Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Health Care Administration, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Kelli L Ahmed
- Autism Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Danica L Limon
- Autism Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Gabrielle F Duhon
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Autism Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Health Services Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gabriela Marzano
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Autism Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Robin P Goin-Kochel
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Autism Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.
- Meyer Center for Developmental Pediatrics and Autism, 8080 N. Stadium Drive, Suite 100, Houston, TX, 77054, USA.
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Tang B, Levine M, Adamek JH, Wodka EL, Caffo BS, Ewen JB. Evaluating causal psychological models: A study of language theories of autism using a large sample. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1060525. [PMID: 36910768 PMCID: PMC9998497 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1060525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
We used a large convenience sample (n = 22,223) from the Simons Powering Autism Research (SPARK) dataset to evaluate causal, explanatory theories of core autism symptoms. In particular, the data-items collected supported the testing of theories that posited altered language abilities as cause of social withdrawal, as well as alternative theories that competed with these language theories. Our results using this large dataset converge with the evolution of the field in the decades since these theories were first proposed, namely supporting primary social withdrawal (in some cases of autism) as a cause of altered language development, rather than vice versa. To accomplish the above empiric goals, we used a highly theory-constrained approach, one which differs from current data-driven modeling trends but is coherent with a very recent resurgence in theory-driven psychology. In addition to careful explication and formalization of theoretical accounts, we propose three principles for future work of this type: specification, quantification, and integration. Specification refers to constraining models with pre-existing data, from both outside and within autism research, with more elaborate models and more veridical measures, and with longitudinal data collection. Quantification refers to using continuous measures of both psychological causes and effects, as well as weighted graphs. This approach avoids "universality and uniqueness" tests that hold that a single cognitive difference could be responsible for a heterogeneous and complex behavioral phenotype. Integration of multiple explanatory paths within a single model helps the field examine for multiple contributors to a single behavioral feature or to multiple behavioral features. It also allows integration of explanatory theories across multiple current-day diagnoses and as well as typical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bohao Tang
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | | | - Jack H Adamek
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Ericka L Wodka
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States.,School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Brian S Caffo
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Joshua B Ewen
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States.,School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
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