Recruiting Hard to Reach Populations to Studies: Breaking the Silence: An Example from a Study that Recruited People with Dementia

The authors analyzed the strategies used to recruit participants at three sites in a large, 15-site dementia study in England. They concluded that successful recruitment of people with dementia and their caregivers requires multiple strategies, close coordination between researchers and clinical service providers, and a detailed understanding of the needs and perspectives of the target population. The authors recommend that large studies should be expected to evaluate and report on their recruitment efforts. This would help build understanding of effective recruitment strategies for hard-to-reach populations.

Field B, Mountain G, Burgess J, et al. Recruiting hard to reach populations to studies: Breaking the silence: An example from a study that recruited people with dementia. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e030829.