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Obtaining 90% Recruitment and Retention Rates With “Hard to Reach” Populations

Obtaining 90% Recruitment and Retention Rates With “Hard to Reach” Populations. Scott Burrus, Sonia Worcel & the Project Transitions Field Research Team NPC Research. Presentation Overview. Introduction Recruitment strategies Retention strategies Project management tools

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Obtaining 90% Recruitment and Retention Rates With “Hard to Reach” Populations

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  1. Obtaining 90% Recruitment and Retention Rates With “Hard to Reach” Populations Scott Burrus, Sonia Worcel & the Project Transitions Field Research Team NPC Research

  2. Presentation Overview • Introduction • Recruitment strategies • Retention strategies • Project management tools • Confidentiality & ethical considerations AEA 2006, NPC Research

  3. Introduction • Recruitment and retention are major concerns for evaluators who intend to maintain contact with participants over time • Study validity depends on minimizing attrition; Participants who complete follow-up may differ from those who drop out • Individuals in the criminal justice system, child welfare system, and those with mental illness or substance abuse issues can be difficult to locate AEA 2006, NPC Research

  4. Introduction Continued • Recruitment and retention strategies must be action-oriented, focused, comprehensive, and creative • Projects must have a philosophical commitment to follow each participant • Remember: Each participant is somewhere; few are truly lost AEA 2006, NPC Research

  5. Recruitment Overview • How do you find people? • How do you convince them to participate? • Setting the stage for retention AEA 2006, NPC Research

  6. How Do You Find People? • It may take multiple attempts, using a variety of methods to make the initial contact • The first step is to gain permission to obtain potential participant contact information and to identify potential gatekeepers AEA 2006, NPC Research

  7. How Do You Find People? • Once you have a list of potential participants and have identified gatekeepers it’s time to begin contacting these participants using any means available: phone, in-person, etc. AEA 2006, NPC Research

  8. How Do You Find People? • Remember when recruiting to: • Take good call notes • Make multiple varied attempts to reach the potential participant • Discuss hard to reach cases as a team to strategize other modes of contact AEA 2006, NPC Research

  9. How Do You Convince Them to Participate? • At the very first contact need to: • Establish rapport (you represent an important project that needs their help) • Gain cooperation (express competence and enthusiasm) • Prevent and convert refusal (address the barriers) • Maintain interaction • Know when to back off AEA 2006, NPC Research

  10. Setting the Stage for Retention • At first meeting, complete locator and release of information form • Provide participant with an appointment card showing approximate date for follow-up meeting • Send thank-you card shortly after first meeting AEA 2006, NPC Research

  11. Retention Overview • Comprehensive retention strategy • Tracking and scheduling steps • Perseverance and creativity AEA 2006, NPC Research

  12. Comprehensive Retention Strategy • Create a project identity: consider a catchy name, or logo, or t-shirts, business cards, flyers, etc. • Have dedicated phones or phone lines AEA 2006, NPC Research

  13. Comprehensive Retention Strategy • Graduated incentives: higher monetary value for each follow-up • Incentive lottery: give away a reward/bonus to one of the participants who completes all required follow-ups • The extras: birthday cards, holiday cards AEA 2006, NPC Research

  14. Tracking and Scheduling Steps • Make tracking phone calls between data collection points, using locator information as necessary • Start attempting to schedule follow-up appointment at least one month early • Send appointment reminder cards • Make reminder call 24 hours before appointment AEA 2006, NPC Research

  15. Perseverance and Creativity • Few participants are truly lost • Participant moved too far for in-person interview? Do phone interview • Participant doesn’t have a phone? Track by visiting the house and leaving a pre-paid phone card, or by calling work/locator numbers • Know someone’s hangouts or employer? Stop by and leave a note AEA 2006, NPC Research

  16. Project Management Overview • Establish timelines and expectations • Management Information System • Develop relationships & procedures with key agencies • Adequate budget and staff time allocations • Supervision strategies AEA 2006, NPC Research

  17. Establish Timelines & Expectations • Determine the study recruitment and follow-up windows • Discuss as a team when it is OK to bend the rules AEA 2006, NPC Research

  18. Management Information System • Develop a tracking database. At a minimum this should include: • Contact/locator information for participants • Due dates for tracking contacts and follow-up data collection • A way to record when data collection and tracking tasks have been completed • Reports that display the above information AEA 2006, NPC Research

  19. Management Information System • Other optional components for the MIS: • The ability to enter (and report) all contact attempts • Reports that calculate recruitment and retention rates • Reports that can be run by individual staff member as well as for the project overall AEA 2006, NPC Research

  20. Develop Relationships & Procedures With Key Agencies • Brainstorm list of possible sources of locator information (criminal justice, social service systems, DMV, utilities, vital statistics, web search services) • Develop relationships with key contacts at these agencies • Develop procedures for obtaining information (e.g. fax release form) AEA 2006, NPC Research

  21. Budget and Staff Allocations • Recruitment and retention take time! • If project is committed to high recruitment and retention rates, must have adequate budget and staff • Decide how much time the project can afford to spend • Track the time it takes to recruit and collect data; use these estimates when budgeting future projects AEA 2006, NPC Research

  22. Supervision Strategies • Adequate training: manuals, articles, role plays, etc. • Team approach: weekly team meetings to do case management and problem-solve difficult cases AEA 2006, NPC Research

  23. Confidentiality and Ethical Considerations • Keep project participation confidential • Guard locator information • You are in the business of persuading people, not coercing them AEA 2006, NPC Research

  24. References • Anglin, M. D., Danila, B., Ryan, T., & Mantius, K. (January, 1996). Staying in touch: A fieldwork manual of tracking procedures for locating substance abusers for follow-up studies. National Evaluation Data and Technical Assistance Center. • Ribisl, K. M., Walton, M. A., Mowbray, C. T., Luke, D. A., Davidson, W. S. II, & BootsMiller, B. J. (1996). Minimizing participant attrition in panel studies through the use of effective retention and tracking strategies: Review and recommendations. Evaluation and Program Planning ,19(1). • Sullivan, C. M., Rumptz, M. H., Campbell, R., Eby, K. K., & Davidson, W. S. II (1996). Retaining participants in longitudinal community research: A comprehensive protocol. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 23(3). AEA 2006, NPC Research

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