Presented at the 2013 AAPM Annual Meeting « Back

A Web-Based Recruiting System for Clinical Pain Trials

Chanchai S. McDonald, PhD, csinghanayok@gmail.com¹, Somchan Vuthipadadon, PhD¹, Ian M. Brooks, PhD¹, Candace Brown, PharmD², Michelle J. Washington, PharmD², Mark E. Sakauye, BSCS³, Emin Kuscu, ME¹ , David C. Foster, MD MPH⁴, Gloria Bachmann, MD MMS⁵, (1) University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, (2) University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee, (3) Biomedical Informatics, Office of Research, Memphis, Tennessee, (4) University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, (5) University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey

Introduction: Success of clinical trials is dependent on recruitment and maintenance of adequate numbers of study subjects. For pain trials, often characterized by low recruitment rates and high attrition, arriving at a desired cohort of subjects presents a challenge for most investigators. Web-based recruiting is an alternative—expanding the research site’s reach to more potential subjects and allowing for prescreening before the first research visit. We describe development of this recruitment tool in a vulvodynia trial. Materials and Methods: To enhance recruitment in an IRB approved, multicenter clinical trial to study women with vulvar pain, we describe how our research team designed and implemented a recruitment website with prescreening questionnaires and informational videos. This site also offers multiple methods for interaction of potential subjects with study coordinators. The website is linked to a database that accrues applicant information and auto-e-mails applicant information to coordinators. Research staff are provided with customized views on their Web interface. Google Analytics is used to collect data on keyword searches, geographic location, bounce-rate and time-on-page, thus driving development of a website appealing specifically to the target population. Results: We believe that our website and the tools needed to develop it are typically available in most institutions that conduct clinical trials. We suggest implementing such tools to enhance subject prescreening and recruitment. Conclusions: Web-based recruiting tools may supplement traditional recruitment methods. As technology advances, use of these tools will provide more cost-effective, efficient ways to touch large populations of people for recruitment into clinical trials.

Funding: NIDHC, NIH