An Innovative Approach to Recruiting Participants for Dementia Research: Primary Care and Researcher Perspectives

Abstract

Aim:

To describe clinician and researcher perceptions of a new, patient preference focused approach to recruiting patients for research from primary care-based memory clinics.

Methods:

Memory clinic clinicians completed a survey and key informants completed an individual interview to gather their perceptions of this new program.

Results:

The majority of clinicians were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with this recruitment approach and indicated that this approach would have minimal negative impact on patient care or create conflict of interest. Key informants valued the program for its patient-centred approach, the integration of research into care and potential for increased recruitment.

Discussion:

These findings are suggestive of support for this recruitment approach. Pilot testing will inform feasibility, effectiveness and process improvements.

Keywords::

• clinical trials
• dementia
• memory clinics
• primary care
• research recruitment

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/nmt-2022-0040

Author contributions

L Lee: study concept, design, data interpretation, manuscript draft and final approval. L Hillier: study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation, manuscript draft and final approval. T Patel: study concept, design, data interpretation, manuscript draft and final approval. SK Lu: study design, data interpretation, manuscript draft and final approval. M Lee: data interpretation, manuscript draft and final approval. C Lee: data analysis, and interpretation, manuscript draft and final approval.

Financial disclosure

This study was financially supported by the Centre for Family Medicine, with the provision of salary support for M Lee, SK Lu and C Lee. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Competing interests disclosure

The authors have no competing interests or relevant affiliations with any organization or entity with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Writing disclosure

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.