Abstracts

Rationale: Researchers frequently report difficulties in recruiting an adequate number of participants in epilepsy studies. Although there are published reports that identify recruitment strategies for research in general, literature that is specific to recruitment strategies in epilepsy research is limited. This study systematically reviews existing literature to identify effective recruitment strategies used in epilepsy studies Methods: A systematic search of published literature and articles were made using databases: PubMed, and PsycINFO. The following keyword combinations were used to search articles: ‘epilepsy recruitment’, ‘epilepsy interventions’, and ‘epilepsy and social media’. Two authors independently screened articles and inclusion criteria included articles: (i) published in English, (ii) focused on studies designed specifically for PWE, (iii) adult participants, and (iv) reported recruitment methods.  Exclusion criteria included: (i) books, (ii) magazines, (iii) conference proceedings, and (iv) trade publications. Recruitment strategies were classified into two categories, electronic or clinical. We identified electronic recruitment strategies as: social media sites, online advertisements, and internet forums. Clinical recruitment strategies were identified as: clinics, hospitals/database, physician/health worker referrals, and epilepsy organizations.  Results: The initial literature search yielded 2,196 articles following de-duplication, and 80 articles met the inclusion criteria for a full text review. The most recent study was from 2017, and the oldest was published in 2006. Of those, 77 articles exercised clinical recruitment strategies, while only three articles used electronic recruitment strategies. Characteristics of effective recruitment strategies that were identified as ‘effective’ included in-person recruitments, physician referrals, organization referrals, and hospital database access. Several studies showed that physician referrals were most effective, candidates were more inclined to participate with direct in-person contact and communication.  Conclusions: Traditional clinical recruitment strategies continue to be most effective in epilepsy research. The active participation of health care providers and organizations with recruitment of PWE creates an open environment for dialogue among researchers and potential participants. Studies reported that patients asked to participate in epilepsy research studies by a medical doctor, were more likely to agree to participate. Traditional recruitment methods focus on the quality of recruitment, who is eligible and who will participate in the study, and not soley the reach of participants. Although there are new advances in electronic recruitment, research shows that traditional recruitment strategies are the most effective.  Funding: The above studies were supported in part by funding from the CDC #U48DP005042 (SIP 14-007)