Recruiting and retaining healthcare workers in Scotland to a longitudinal COVID-19 study: a descriptive analysis.

IF 3.9 3区 医学 Q1 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES
Josie Mm Evans, Nicole Sergenson, Melanie Dembinsky, Lynne Haahr, Jen Bishop, Anna Howells, Katie Munro, Lesley Price
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Rapid timescales for the design and delivery of research were common during the COVID-19 pandemic. The recruitment and retention of healthcare workers (HCWs) as participants in research studies are notoriously challenging, but this was exacerbated during the pandemic by the unprecedented demand placed on the workforce. The SARS-CoV-2 Immunity and Reinfection Evaluation (SIREN study) is a prospective multicentre cohort study following HCWs in the UK. This paper discusses the strategies and challenges associated with recruitment and retention of HCW participants in Scotland.

Methods: There were 44,546 HCWs recruited to the SIREN study, of whom 6,285 were recruited by research teams at ten different research sites in Scotland between October 2020 and March 2021. Information on target and actual sample size, availability of resource, recruitment rate, and recruitment and engagement strategies by site was collated from SIREN study documentation and discussions with local key SIREN site staff. Individual-level data from 6,153 HCW participants with ongoing consent for all data usage were also collated, including socio-demographic data and information on withdrawal (in first year) and opt-in to a study extension after one year. Factors associated with these outcomes were explored in logistic regression analyses.

Results: Different recruitment strategies were used in each site according to local agreements, protocol and staff capacity, with the recruitment period ranging from 13 to 160 days. The locally-agreed recruitment target was met in four sites. The proportion of participants who withdrew in the first year ranged from 3.1 to 24.8% by site, while subsequent opt-in to a 12-month study extension ranged from 28.6 to 74.8%. The sites with the highest proportions of withdrawals were the same four sites with lowest proportions of opt-in. On an individual level, there was a lower level of retention among younger participants, and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and minority ethnic groups.

Conclusions: Site-specific factors including research-readiness likely had a significant influence on recruitment and retention, more so than the specific recruitment or retention strategies employed. Independent of site factors, individual-level variables influenced recruitment and retention, suggesting targeted strategies may be needed to promote research engagement among particular socio-demographic groups.

苏格兰医护人员的招聘和留用:COVID-19 纵向研究的描述性分析。
背景:在 COVID-19 大流行期间,设计和开展研究的快速时间表很常见。招募和留住参与研究的医护人员(HCWs)是一项众所周知的挑战,但在大流行期间,对医护人员的需求空前高涨,加剧了这一挑战。SARS-CoV-2 免疫和再感染评估(SIREN 研究)是一项前瞻性多中心队列研究,研究对象是英国的医护人员。本文讨论了在苏格兰招募和留住高危卫生工作者参与者的相关策略和挑战:SIREN 研究共招募了 44,546 名高危职业妇女,其中 6,285 名是由苏格兰 10 个不同研究地点的研究团队在 2020 年 10 月至 2021 年 3 月期间招募的。有关各研究点的目标和实际样本量、可用资源、招募率以及招募和参与策略的信息均来自 SIREN 研究文件以及与当地主要 SIREN 研究点工作人员的讨论。此外,还整理了 6,153 名人机工程参与者的个人数据,其中包括社会人口学数据以及关于退出(第一年)和一年后选择延长研究的信息。通过逻辑回归分析探讨了与这些结果相关的因素:各研究机构根据当地协议、规程和人员能力采取了不同的招募策略,招募时间从 13 天到 160 天不等。有四个研究机构达到了当地商定的招募目标。各研究机构在第一年退出研究的参与者比例从3.1%到24.8%不等,而随后选择延长12个月研究的比例从28.6%到74.8%不等。退出比例最高的四个地点也是选择加入比例最低的四个地点。就个人而言,年轻参与者、社会经济背景较差者和少数民族群体的保留率较低:结论:研究机构的具体因素(包括研究准备程度)可能对招募和留住参与者有重大影响,其影响程度超过了所采用的具体招募或留住策略。与研究地点因素无关,个人层面的变量也会影响招募和留用情况,这表明可能需要采取有针对性的策略来促进特定社会人口群体参与研究。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
BMC Medical Research Methodology
BMC Medical Research Methodology 医学-卫生保健
CiteScore
6.50
自引率
2.50%
发文量
298
审稿时长
3-8 weeks
期刊介绍: BMC Medical Research Methodology is an open access journal publishing original peer-reviewed research articles in methodological approaches to healthcare research. Articles on the methodology of epidemiological research, clinical trials and meta-analysis/systematic review are particularly encouraged, as are empirical studies of the associations between choice of methodology and study outcomes. BMC Medical Research Methodology does not aim to publish articles describing scientific methods or techniques: these should be directed to the BMC journal covering the relevant biomedical subject area.
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