Clinical Research Recruitment Program
This program was developed by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and is supported by the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) through NIH/NCATS grant UM1TR004399.
Helping investigators raise awareness of their studies and engage people in clinical research
The Fundamentals of Recruitment
Successful recruitment of participants for clinical research studies involves developing and implementing a well-planned strategy from study start-up to closure. The following are essential steps to consider when creating a recruitment strategy.
1. Identify Target Audience
The first step to creating a recruitment strategy is to build a "participant persona." This means defining the audience the study wants to recruit.
2. Choose the Right Methods
There are many channels researchers can utilize to recruit for research studies. Best practices include selecting option(s) based on the participants the study is aiming to recruit.
3. Outline Budgeting
Clinical research teams can fall short in funds when recruiting participants. To prevent a crisis of funding, make the following considerations:
4. Time Your Accruals
It is best to forecast research participant recruitment timelines by plotting out the expected or targeted number of participants recruited compared to the actual number of participants.
