Clinical trials, including surgical trials, often struggle to recruit patient participants and keep them in the trial (retention). These difficulties can mean a trial takes longer, costs more money, or even fails completely. Involving patients in the design and management of trials has the potential to enhance recruitment and retention, but the evidence for this is weak at best.
This MRC-funded study aims to investigate these issues by developing and testing a patient and public involvement ‘intervention’ aimed at improving recruitment and/or retention in surgical. The project will consist of several phases including surveys, focus groups and a consensus workshop, involving surgical trial investigators, administrators, and patients and members of the public involved in surgical trials.
Contacts
- Louise Locock; louise.locock@abdn.ac.uk
- Shaun Treweek; streweek@mac.com
Status
CompletedPublications
Crocker JC, Farrar N, Cook JA, Treweek S, Woolfall K, Chant A, Bostock J, Locock L, Rees S, Olszowski S, Bulbulia R. Recruitment and retention of participants in UK surgical trials: survey of key issues reported by trial staff. BJS Open 2020 vol. 4, no. 6, pp. 1238–1245. https://doi.org/10.1002/bjs5.50345
Crocker, JC, Pratt-Boyden, K, Hislop, J, Rees, S, Locock, L, Olszowski, S, Chant, A, Treweek, S, Cook, JA, Woolfall, K, Farrar, N, Bostock, J & Bulbulia, R 2019, 'Patient and public involvement (PPI) in UK surgical trials: a survey and focus groups with stakeholders to identify practices, views and experiences', Trials, vol. 20, 119. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-019-3183-0
Crocker, JC., Boylan, A-M, Bostock, J. & Locock, L. (2017). 'Is it worth it? Patient and public views on the impact of their involvement in health research and its assessment: a UK-based qualitative interview study'. Health Expectations, vol 20, no. 3, pp. 519-528.