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Sayegh CS, Iverson E, MacDonell KK, West AE, Belzer M. Pediatric subspecialty health care providers' views of recruitment during a randomized controlled trial of a mobile health intervention. Contemp Clin Trials Commun 2023; 33:101121. [PMID: 37091506 PMCID: PMC10119496 DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2023.101121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) enrolling pediatric populations often struggle with recruitment. Engaging healthcare providers in the recruitment process may increase patients' and caregivers' willingness to participate in research. The purpose of this study was to understand the perspectives of pediatric subspecialty healthcare providers considering recruiting patients to participate in an mobile health (mHealth) RCT. Methods We conducted 9 semi-structured interviews and 1 focus group with a total of N = 11 providers from various disciplines before the initiation of an mHealth RCT addressing medication nonadherence. Then, we conducted 5 follow-up interviews and 1 follow-up focus group with a total of 8 of these providers several months later. We used thematic analysis to generate themes describing providers' views of the RCT and patient recruitment. Results Providers indicated that they were willing to recruit for this study because they believed that the intervention sought to address a significant problem. They also thought it made sense to intervene using technology for this age group. However, many providers thought that certain patients (e.g., those with mild, shorter-lasting adherence difficulties) were the most appropriate to recruit. They described how keeping the trial front of mind facilitated recruitment, and they advised researchers to use strategies to promote their ongoing awareness of the study if conducting similar research in the future. Conclusion Pediatric healthcare providers are important stakeholders in mHealth intervention research. Engaging them in participant recruitment is a complex endeavor that might promote patient enrollment, but their views of research and demanding clinical roles are important to understand when designing study procedures.
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Carter B, Bray L, al-Najjar N, Piella AT, Tudur-Smith C, Spowart C, Collingwood A, Crudgington H, Currier J, Hughes DA, Wood E, Martin R, Morris C, Roberts D, Rouncefield-Swales A, Sutherland H, Watson V, Cook G, Wiggs L, Gringras P, Pal D. The impact of parent treatment preference and other factors on recruitment: lessons learned from a paediatric epilepsy randomised controlled trial. Trials 2023; 24:83. [PMID: 36747248 PMCID: PMC9900533 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-023-07091-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In paediatric epilepsy, the evidence of effectiveness of antiseizure treatment is inconclusive for some types of epilepsy. As with other paediatric clinical trials, researchers undertaking paediatric epilepsy clinical trials face a range of challenges that may compromise external validity MAIN BODY: In this paper, we critically reflect upon the factors which impacted recruitment to the pilot phase of a phase IV unblinded, randomised controlled 3×2 factorial trial examining the effectiveness of two antiseizure medications (ASMs) and a sleep behaviour intervention in children with Rolandic epilepsy. We consider the processes established to support recruitment, public and patient involvement and engagement (PPIE), site induction, our oversight of recruitment targets and figures, and the actions we took to help us understand why we failed to recruit sufficient children to continue to the substantive trial phase. The key lessons learned were about parent preference, children's involvement and collaboration in decision-making, potential and alternative trial designs, and elicitation of stated preferences pre-trial design. Despite pre-funding PPIE during the trial design phase, we failed to anticipate the scale of parental treatment preference for or against antiseizure medication (ASMs) and consequent unwillingness to be randomised. Future studies should ensure more detailed and in-depth consultation to ascertain parent and/or patient preferences. More intense engagement with parents and children exploring their ideas about treatment preferences could, perhaps, have helped predict some recruitment issues. Infrequent seizures or screening children close to natural remission were possible explanations for non-consent. It is possible some clinicians were unintentionally unable to convey clinical equipoise influencing parental decision against participation. We wanted children to be involved in decisions about trial participation. However, despite having tailored written and video information to explain the trial to children we do not know whether these materials were viewed in each consent conversation or how much input children had towards parents' decisions to participate. Novel methods such as parent/patient preference trials and/or discrete choice experiments may be the way forward. CONCLUSION The importance of diligent consultation, the consideration of novel methods such as parent/patient preference trials and/or discrete choice experiments in studies examining the effectiveness of ASMs versus no-ASMs cannot be overemphasised even in the presence of widespread clinician equipoise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernie Carter
- Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK.
| | - Lucy Bray
- grid.255434.10000 0000 8794 7109Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Nadia al-Najjar
- grid.10025.360000 0004 1936 8470Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Agnès Tort Piella
- grid.10025.360000 0004 1936 8470Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Catrin Tudur-Smith
- grid.10025.360000 0004 1936 8470Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Catherine Spowart
- grid.10025.360000 0004 1936 8470Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Amber Collingwood
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Basic and Clinical Neurosciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Holly Crudgington
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Basic and Clinical Neurosciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK
| | | | - Dyfrig A. Hughes
- grid.7362.00000000118820937Centre for Health Economics & Medicines Evaluation, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Eifiona Wood
- grid.7362.00000000118820937Centre for Health Economics & Medicines Evaluation, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Rachael Martin
- grid.255434.10000 0000 8794 7109Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Christopher Morris
- grid.8391.30000 0004 1936 8024University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Alison Rouncefield-Swales
- grid.255434.10000 0000 8794 7109Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Heather Sutherland
- grid.255434.10000 0000 8794 7109Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Victoria Watson
- grid.10025.360000 0004 1936 8470Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Georgia Cook
- grid.7628.b0000 0001 0726 8331Centre for Psychological Research, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Luci Wiggs
- grid.7628.b0000 0001 0726 8331Centre for Psychological Research, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Paul Gringras
- Newcomen Children's Neurosciences Centre, Evelina London Children's Hospital, London, UK. .,Department of Women and Children's Health, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Deb Pal
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neurosciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK. .,MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK. .,King's College Hospital, London, UK.
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3
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Azzolina D, Comoretto R, Da Dalt L, Bressan S, Gregori D. A SuperLearner-enforced approach for the estimation of treatment effect in pediatric trials. Digit Health 2023; 9:20552076231191967. [PMID: 37559827 PMCID: PMC10408313 DOI: 10.1177/20552076231191967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Randomized Clinical Trials (RCT) represent the gold standard among scientific evidence. RCTs are tailored to control selection bias and the confounding effect of baseline characteristics on the effect of treatment. However, trial conduction and enrolment procedures could be challenging, especially for rare diseases and paediatric research. In these research frameworks, the treatment effect estimation could be compromised. A potential countermeasure is to develop predictive models on the probability of the baseline disease based on previously collected observational data. Machine learning (ML) algorithms have recently become attractive in clinical research because of their flexibility and improved performance compared to standard statistical methods in developing predictive models. Objective This manuscript proposes an ML-enforced treatment effect estimation procedure based on an ensemble SuperLearner (SL) approach, trained on historical observational data, to control the confounding effect. Methods The REnal SCarring Urinary infEction trial served as a motivating example. Historical observational study data have been simulated through 10,000 Monte Carlo (MC) runs. Hypothetical RCTs have been also simulated, for each MC run, assuming different treatment effects of antibiotics combined with steroids. For each MC simulation, the SL tool has been applied to the simulated observational data. Furthermore, the average treatment effect (ATE), has been estimated on the trial data and adjusted for the SL predicted probability of renal scar. Results The simulation results revealed an increased power in ATE estimation for the SL-enforced estimation compared to the unadjusted estimates for all the algorithms composing the ensemble SL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danila Azzolina
- Department of Environmental and Preventive Science, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Rosanna Comoretto
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Liviana Da Dalt
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Silvia Bressan
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Dario Gregori
- Unit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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Cho E, Gilmer MJ, Friedman DL, Hendricks-Ferguson VL, Hinds PS, Akard TF. Facebook Recruitment for Children with Advanced Cancer and Their Parents: Lessons from a Web-based Pediatric Palliative Intervention Study. Prog Palliat Care 2021; 29:264-271. [PMID: 34737490 DOI: 10.1080/09699260.2021.1898077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Participant recruitment for pediatric palliative intervention studies is a chronic challenge for researchers. Digital recruitment strategies, or digital technology-assisted recruitment methods used to remotely reach and enroll research subjects, can help address these recruitment challenges for pediatric palliative care clinical trials. This study (a) describes Facebook recruitment procedures targeting children with cancer and their parents for a pediatric palliative intervention randomized clinical trial, (b) reports recruitment results, and (c) discusses successful strategies to recruit pediatric populations via Facebook advertisements. Researchers used Facebook advertisements to recruit children with advanced cancer (aged 7 to 17 years) for a web-based legacy intervention. Between years 2015 and 2018, our research team enrolled 150 child-parent dyads (N= 300) to participate in the web-based legacy program. Results suggest that Facebook advertisements can be a successful tool to access and recruit pediatric populations with life-threatening conditions. Further research is needed to determine how innovative social-media recruitment strategies could be used in other populations of patients with serious illnesses and their caregivers to further advance the science in palliative care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunji Cho
- School of Nursing, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Mary Jo Gilmer
- School of Nursing, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Debra L Friedman
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - Pamela S Hinds
- Department of Nursing Science, Professional Practice & Quality, Children's National Health System, George Washington University, Washington, DC.,Department of Pediatrics, George Washington University, Washington, DC
| | - Terrah Foster Akard
- School of Nursing, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Lozano S, Sund G, Guimera A, Deukmedjian G, Miller PS. A Comparison of Local Anesthetics for Intravenous Catheter Insertion in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients: A Randomized Clinical Pilot Trial. J Infus Nurs 2021; 44:346-356. [PMID: 34753154 DOI: 10.1097/nan.0000000000000449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) insertion is one of the most painful procedures pediatric patients undergo during hospitalization. To date, local anesthetics delivered via cream, patch, and needle-free injection have not been rigorously evaluated together. This study aimed to investigate feasibility and potential efficacy of local anesthetics on pain intensity during PIVC insertion in an unblinded, single-center, randomized clinical pilot trial. Between March 2017 and February 2020, 88 hospitalized children aged 12 months to 18 years in an acute pediatric unit at an academic medical center were randomized to 1 of 3 local anesthetics: 1) lidocaine/prilocaine cream, 2) lidocaine/tetracaine patch, and 3) unbuffered lidocaine needle-free injection. Feasibility outcomes were recruitment and protocol adherence. Pain intensity was measured using the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (age <8 years) and Verbal Numeric Rating (VNRS) scales (age ≥8 years) before, during, and after procedure. Secondary outcomes included catheterization attempts, procedure time, and parent satisfaction. Recruitment rate was acceptable (2.7 patients per month). Protocol adherence was high (92%). Preliminary clinical findings showed no significant difference in pain intensity across treatments. Procedure time to successful insertion differed in the VNRS group, favoring unbuffered lidocaine needle-free injection. Conduct of a definitive, full-scale randomized clinical trial in the hospitalized pediatric population is feasible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally Lozano
- University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, Santa Monica, California (Ms Lozano); University of California Los Angeles Mattel Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California (Ms Sund); University of California Los Angeles Health, Los Angeles, California (Drs Guimera, Deukmedjian, and Miller)
- Sally Lozano, BSN, RN, CPN , has worked as a pediatric nurse for 15 years at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center. She was recently promoted to clinical nurse manager in the general pediatric unit. Ms Lozano has extensive experience placing and teaching techniques for successful peripheral intravenous catheter insertions
- Grace Sund, MSN, RN, CPNP, CPHON, is a clinical nurse specialist in pediatrics at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and has worked as a pediatric nurse for 19 years. She helped create the nurse-driven protocol for topical anesthetics prior to intravenous insertion for the pediatric population across the health system
- Allison Guimera, MD, FAAP, worked as a pediatric hospitalist at UCLA Health and currently practices outpatient pediatrics with UCLA Health. She is a board-certified pediatrician and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Grace Deukmedjian, MD, is a pediatric hospitalist at UCLA Health. Her expertise is in global health, social justice and equity, medical education, and humanities in medicine
- Pamela S. Miller, PhD, RN, ACNP, CNS, PHN, EBP(CH), is a senior nurse scientist in the Center for Nursing Excellence at UCLA Health, where she directs the research, evidence-based practice, and innovation programs. Her research focuses on symptom science
| | - Grace Sund
- University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, Santa Monica, California (Ms Lozano); University of California Los Angeles Mattel Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California (Ms Sund); University of California Los Angeles Health, Los Angeles, California (Drs Guimera, Deukmedjian, and Miller)
- Sally Lozano, BSN, RN, CPN , has worked as a pediatric nurse for 15 years at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center. She was recently promoted to clinical nurse manager in the general pediatric unit. Ms Lozano has extensive experience placing and teaching techniques for successful peripheral intravenous catheter insertions
- Grace Sund, MSN, RN, CPNP, CPHON, is a clinical nurse specialist in pediatrics at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and has worked as a pediatric nurse for 19 years. She helped create the nurse-driven protocol for topical anesthetics prior to intravenous insertion for the pediatric population across the health system
- Allison Guimera, MD, FAAP, worked as a pediatric hospitalist at UCLA Health and currently practices outpatient pediatrics with UCLA Health. She is a board-certified pediatrician and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Grace Deukmedjian, MD, is a pediatric hospitalist at UCLA Health. Her expertise is in global health, social justice and equity, medical education, and humanities in medicine
- Pamela S. Miller, PhD, RN, ACNP, CNS, PHN, EBP(CH), is a senior nurse scientist in the Center for Nursing Excellence at UCLA Health, where she directs the research, evidence-based practice, and innovation programs. Her research focuses on symptom science
| | - Allison Guimera
- University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, Santa Monica, California (Ms Lozano); University of California Los Angeles Mattel Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California (Ms Sund); University of California Los Angeles Health, Los Angeles, California (Drs Guimera, Deukmedjian, and Miller)
- Sally Lozano, BSN, RN, CPN , has worked as a pediatric nurse for 15 years at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center. She was recently promoted to clinical nurse manager in the general pediatric unit. Ms Lozano has extensive experience placing and teaching techniques for successful peripheral intravenous catheter insertions
- Grace Sund, MSN, RN, CPNP, CPHON, is a clinical nurse specialist in pediatrics at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and has worked as a pediatric nurse for 19 years. She helped create the nurse-driven protocol for topical anesthetics prior to intravenous insertion for the pediatric population across the health system
- Allison Guimera, MD, FAAP, worked as a pediatric hospitalist at UCLA Health and currently practices outpatient pediatrics with UCLA Health. She is a board-certified pediatrician and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Grace Deukmedjian, MD, is a pediatric hospitalist at UCLA Health. Her expertise is in global health, social justice and equity, medical education, and humanities in medicine
- Pamela S. Miller, PhD, RN, ACNP, CNS, PHN, EBP(CH), is a senior nurse scientist in the Center for Nursing Excellence at UCLA Health, where she directs the research, evidence-based practice, and innovation programs. Her research focuses on symptom science
| | - Grace Deukmedjian
- University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, Santa Monica, California (Ms Lozano); University of California Los Angeles Mattel Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California (Ms Sund); University of California Los Angeles Health, Los Angeles, California (Drs Guimera, Deukmedjian, and Miller)
- Sally Lozano, BSN, RN, CPN , has worked as a pediatric nurse for 15 years at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center. She was recently promoted to clinical nurse manager in the general pediatric unit. Ms Lozano has extensive experience placing and teaching techniques for successful peripheral intravenous catheter insertions
- Grace Sund, MSN, RN, CPNP, CPHON, is a clinical nurse specialist in pediatrics at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and has worked as a pediatric nurse for 19 years. She helped create the nurse-driven protocol for topical anesthetics prior to intravenous insertion for the pediatric population across the health system
- Allison Guimera, MD, FAAP, worked as a pediatric hospitalist at UCLA Health and currently practices outpatient pediatrics with UCLA Health. She is a board-certified pediatrician and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Grace Deukmedjian, MD, is a pediatric hospitalist at UCLA Health. Her expertise is in global health, social justice and equity, medical education, and humanities in medicine
- Pamela S. Miller, PhD, RN, ACNP, CNS, PHN, EBP(CH), is a senior nurse scientist in the Center for Nursing Excellence at UCLA Health, where she directs the research, evidence-based practice, and innovation programs. Her research focuses on symptom science
| | - Pamela S Miller
- University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, Santa Monica, California (Ms Lozano); University of California Los Angeles Mattel Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California (Ms Sund); University of California Los Angeles Health, Los Angeles, California (Drs Guimera, Deukmedjian, and Miller)
- Sally Lozano, BSN, RN, CPN , has worked as a pediatric nurse for 15 years at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center. She was recently promoted to clinical nurse manager in the general pediatric unit. Ms Lozano has extensive experience placing and teaching techniques for successful peripheral intravenous catheter insertions
- Grace Sund, MSN, RN, CPNP, CPHON, is a clinical nurse specialist in pediatrics at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and has worked as a pediatric nurse for 19 years. She helped create the nurse-driven protocol for topical anesthetics prior to intravenous insertion for the pediatric population across the health system
- Allison Guimera, MD, FAAP, worked as a pediatric hospitalist at UCLA Health and currently practices outpatient pediatrics with UCLA Health. She is a board-certified pediatrician and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Grace Deukmedjian, MD, is a pediatric hospitalist at UCLA Health. Her expertise is in global health, social justice and equity, medical education, and humanities in medicine
- Pamela S. Miller, PhD, RN, ACNP, CNS, PHN, EBP(CH), is a senior nurse scientist in the Center for Nursing Excellence at UCLA Health, where she directs the research, evidence-based practice, and innovation programs. Her research focuses on symptom science
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van Sluijs EMF, Brown HE, Coombes E, Hughes C, Jones AP, Morton KL, Guagliano JM. An online family-based self-monitoring and goal-setting intervention to improve children’s physical activity: the FRESH feasibility trial and three-arm pilot RCT. Public Health Res 2021. [DOI: 10.3310/phr09090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
Family-based physical activity promotion presents a promising avenue for promoting whole-family physical activity, but high-quality research is lacking.
Objectives
To assess the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of FRESH (Families Reporting Every Step to Health), a child-led online family-based physical activity intervention; and to identify effective and resource-efficient family recruitment strategies.
Design
The project consisted of (1) a randomised feasibility trial, (2) a randomised controlled pilot trial and (3) a systematic review and Delphi study.
Setting
Norfolk/Suffolk counties, UK.
Participants
Families, recruited from schools, workplaces and community settings, were eligible to participate if one child aged 7–11 years and one adult responsible for their care provided written consent; all family members could participate.
Interventions
The FRESH intervention, guided by self-determination theory, targeted whole families and was delivered via an online platform. All family members received pedometers and were given website access to select family step challenges to ‘travel’ to target cities around the world, log steps, and track progress as they virtually globetrotted. Families were randomised to FRESH intervention, pedometer-only or control arm.
Main outcome measures
Physical (e.g. blood pressure), psychosocial (e.g. family functioning) and behavioural (e.g. device-measured family physical activity) measures were collected at baseline and at 8- and 52-week follow-up. A mixed-methods process evaluation assessed the acceptability of the intervention and evaluation.
Data sources review
Systematic search of four databases (Cochrane Library, PubMed, PsycINFO and SCOPUS).
Review methods
Articles were screened in duplicate, and data extraction was fully checked. Academic experts participated in the three-round Delphi study. Data were combined to identify effective and resource-efficient family recruitment strategies.
Inclusion criteria
Included generally healthy school-aged children and at least one adult; intervention attempted to change physical activity, sedentary behaviour, screen use, diet, or prevent overweight/obesity in multiple family members; presented relevant measure of effect in children and adults.
Results
The feasibility study (12 families, 32 participants; 100% retention at 8 weeks) demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of FRESH, but highlighted that adaptations were required. Of 41 families recruited in the pilot study (149 participants), 98% and 88% were retained at the 8-week and 52-week follow-up, respectively. More children in the FRESH arm self-reported doing more family physical activity, and they thought that FRESH was fun. There were no notable between-group differences in children’s outcomes. Change in moderate to vigorous physical activity at 8 weeks favoured FRESH intervention adults [vs. control: 9.4 minutes/week (95% confidence interval 0.4 to 18.4) vs. pedometer only: 15.3 (95% confidence interval 6.0 to 24.5)], and was stronger in fathers, but this was not maintained. In 49 included studies, apart from recruitment settings and strategies used (reported in 84% and 73% of the studies, respectively), recruitment details were scarce. School-based recruitment was predominant. The Delphi study identified a wide range of recruitment settings and strategies.
Limitations
Recruitment was the main limitation of the FRESH studies; generalisability of the proposed recruitment strategies may be limited.
Conclusions
This study has demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of the FRESH intervention. However, we failed to recruit the target sample size and were unable to demonstrate a signal of effectiveness. Future research should employ a multifaceted recruitment approach.
Future work
Further refinements to intervention delivery and recruitment methods should be investigated.
Study registration
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN12789422 and PROSPERO CRD42019140042.
Funding
This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 9, No. 9. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther MF van Sluijs
- Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR) and MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Helen E Brown
- Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR) and MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Emma Coombes
- Norwich Medical School and Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Claire Hughes
- Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrew P Jones
- Norwich Medical School and Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Katie L Morton
- Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR) and MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Justin M Guagliano
- Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR) and MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Waters KA, Chawla J, Harris MA, Heussler H, Cheng AT, Black RJ. Sleep and Behavior 24 Months After Early Tonsillectomy for Mild OSA: An RCT. Pediatrics 2021; 148:peds.2020-038588. [PMID: 34257146 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2020-038588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The Preschool Obstructive Sleep Apnea Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy study is a prospective randomized controlled study of children aged 3 to 5 years. This follow-up evaluated postoperative outcomes 24 months after randomization. METHODS Baseline, 12-month, and 24-month assessments included intellectual ability, polysomnography, audiology, a pediatric sleep questionnaire, the parent rating scale of the Behavior Assessment System for Children, and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning. RESULTS In total, 117 (55% male) of 190 children, 61.6% of those initially randomly assigned, attended 24-month follow-up; 62 of 99 were assigned T/A within 2 months (eT/A); and 55 of 91 were assigned to T/A after the 12-month follow-up (T/A12). Intellectual ability, our primary outcome, did not differ according to the timing of T/A. Exploratory analyses revealed changes in both groups after T/A, including fewer children having day sleeps (eT/A from baseline 97% to 11%, T/A12 from 36% at 12 months to 9%), improved symptom scores (eT/A 0.62 to 0.25, T/A12 0.61 to 0.26; P < .001), improved behavior T-scores (eT/A 71.0 to 59.9, T/A12 63.6 to 50.5; P < .001), and improved polysomnography (obstructive apnea-hypopnea index eT/A 1.9 to 0.3 per hour, T/A12 1.3 to 0.3; P < .001). The eT/A group revealed temporary postoperative improvement of Woodcock-Johnson III subscales (sound blending and incomplete word scores) and behavioral withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS T/A for mild obstructive sleep apnea led to large improvements in sleep and behavior in preschool-aged children, regardless of the timing of surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen A Waters
- Sleep Medicine Service, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, Australia .,Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Medicine, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Jasneek Chawla
- Departments of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine.,Faculty of Medicine, Mater Medical Research Institute
| | | | - Helen Heussler
- Children's Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Alan T Cheng
- Sleep Medicine Service, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, Australia.,Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Medicine, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Robert J Black
- Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, Australia
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Guagliano JM, Morton KL, Hughes C, van Sluijs EMF. Effective and resource-efficient strategies for recruiting families in physical activity, sedentary behavior, nutrition, and obesity prevention research: A systematic review with expert opinion. Obes Rev 2021; 22:e13161. [PMID: 33331106 PMCID: PMC7613433 DOI: 10.1111/obr.13161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
We systematically identified effective and resource-efficient strategies for recruiting families into health promoting intervention research. Four databases were searched for reviews. Interventions were extracted from included reviews. Additionally, a Delphi study was conducted with 35 experts in family-based research. We assessed extracted data from our review and Delphi participants' opinions by collating responses into overarching themes based on recruitment setting then recruitment strategies to identify effective and resource-efficient strategies for recruiting families into intervention research. A total of 64 articles (n = 49 studies) were included. Data regarding recruitment duration (33%), target sample size (32%), reach (18%), expressions of interest (33%), and enrollment rate (22%) were scarcely reported. Recruitment settings (84%) and strategies (73%) used were available for most studies. However, the details were vague, particularly regarding who was responsible for recruitment or how recruitment strategies were implemented. The Delphi showed recruitment settings, and strategies fell under six themes: school-based, print/electronic media, community settings-based, primary care-based, employer-based, and referral-based strategies. Underrecruitment in family-based trials is a major issue. Reporting on recruitment can be improved by better adherence to existing guidelines. Our findings suggest a multifaceted recruitment approach targeting adults and children with multiple exposures to study information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin M Guagliano
- MRC Epidemiology Unit & Centre for Diet and Activity Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Katie L Morton
- MRC Epidemiology Unit & Centre for Diet and Activity Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Claire Hughes
- Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Esther M F van Sluijs
- MRC Epidemiology Unit & Centre for Diet and Activity Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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McDermott C, Vennik J, Philpott C, le Conte S, Thomas M, Eyles C, Little P, Blackshaw H, Schilder A, Hopkins C. Maximising recruitment to a randomised controlled trial for chronic rhinosinusitis using qualitative research methods: the MACRO conversation study. Trials 2021; 22:54. [PMID: 33436031 PMCID: PMC7805190 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-020-04993-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the ‘gold standard’ of medical evidence; however, recruitment can be challenging. The MACRO trial is a NIHR-funded RCT for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) addressing the challenge of comparing surgery, antibiotics and placebo. The embedded MACRO conversation study (MCS) used qualitative research techniques pioneered by the University of Bristol QuinteT team to explore recruitment issues during the pilot phase, to maximise recruitment in the main trial. Methods Setting: Five outpatient Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) departments recruiting for the pilot phase of the MACRO trial (ISRCTN Number: 36962030, prospectively registered 17 October 2018). We conducted a thematic analysis of telephone interviews with 18 recruiters and 19 patients and 61 audio-recordings of recruitment conversations. We reviewed screening and recruitment data and mapped patient pathways at participating sites. We presented preliminary findings to individual site teams. Group discussions enabled further exploration of issues, evolving strategies and potential solutions. Findings were reported back to the funder and used together with recruitment data to justify progression to the main trial. Results Recruitment in the MACRO pilot trial began slowly but accelerated in time to progress successfully to the main trial. Research nurse involvement was pivotal to successful recruitment. Engaging the wider network of clinical colleagues emerged as an important factor, ensuring the patient pathway through primary and secondary care did not inadvertently affect trial eligibility. The most common reason for patients declining participation was treatment preference. Good patient-clinician relationships engendered trust and supported patient decision-making. Overall, trial involvement appeared clearly presented by recruiters, possibly influenced by pre-trial training. The weakest area of understanding for patients appeared to be trial medications. A clear presentation of medical and surgical treatment options, together with checking patient understanding, had the potential to allay patient concerns. Conclusion The MACRO conversation study contributed to the learning process of optimising recruitment by helping to identify and address recruitment issues. Although some issues were trial-specific, others have applicability to many clinical trial situations. Using qualitative research techniques to identify/explore barriers and facilitators to recruitment may be valuable during the pilot phase of many RCTs including those with complex designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare McDermott
- Primary Care and Populations Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Jane Vennik
- Primary Care and Populations Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
| | - Carl Philpott
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.,James Paget University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Great Yarmouth, UK
| | - Steffi le Conte
- Surgical Interventional Trials Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mike Thomas
- Primary Care and Populations Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Caroline Eyles
- Primary Care and Populations Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Paul Little
- Primary Care and Populations Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Helen Blackshaw
- evidENT, Ear Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Anne Schilder
- evidENT, Ear Institute, University College London, London, UK
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