13 Feb Boost Your Study Recruitment with this ITHS Tool
One of the most effective tools ITHS offers in the quest for study subjects is the Participate in Research website, helping researchers and potential participants to connect. Launched in 2015, the site is a centralized online location for research teams post their studies to including a basic description, eligibility information, IRB approvals and the study contact.
In the past year, 30 studies posted on Participate in Research have met their enrollment goals.
Michael Donahue, CCRC, has been a research coordinator for more than 20 years and is a long time user and champion of Participate in Research. “Some of my studies never would have met our recruitment goals without it,” he told us.
Michael Donahue, CCRC
One of Donahue’s favorite features of the site is how easy it is to change a post to adapt to a study’s recruitment needs. “I had a study that was recruiting 7–17-year-old boys and girls, but we had found enough boys. I was able to quickly edit the posting to search for girls only.”
Study teams can post their studies under 25 different categories, such as Diabetes, Cancer or Sleep Disorders, as well as including tags (“depression,” “pelvic pain,” “language development” and so on) to help participants searching the site find their post. The eligibility criteria listed on the study post can be as detailed as required to help potential participants decide if a study is right for them before contacting the study team. This self-screening can reduce the time the study team spends on eliminating ineligible participants. Once a research team posts their study, the details included in the study post help potential participants self-screen.
Since the launch, the site has been consistently busy: more than 3,600 people visit the site every month. Most of the studies posted on Participate in Research are local to Seattle and surrounding region, but studies that don’t require in-person visit can find participants well beyond that area. The site has a broad reach, receiving visitors from all 50 states, Canada, Europe and beyond, who may be able to participate in online interviews or take a survey about their health.
Research teams can also use the Participate in Research post as a quick and easy online landing page for their study, sharing the link on social media, on other websites, or via email. Donahue told us,
I really can’t say enough about how useful Participate in Research is for study recruitment
Once the study is approved by the ITHS team and published (usually in about one business day), participants can find it and reach out directly to the study team. The process is simple, fast and free to researchers and participants.
The site is also secure. It does not retain potential participants’ information when they fill out a study’s contact form, nor does it ask any health questions. All information is encrypted and sent directly to the study team.
Visit Participate in Research now to post a study, find a study to participate in, or to learn more about the site.
