COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS AS RECRUITMENT STAFF IN A CLINICAL-TRIAL - THE SYSTOLIC HYPERTENSION IN THE ELDERLY PROGRAM (SHEP) EXPERIENCE

During the recruitment phase of a trial it is often found that recruit ment is not proceeding as quickly as projected. Budget limitations req uire innovative methods, such as use of volunteers, to increase recrui tment yields without increasing cost. In the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP), volunteer staff at 12 of the 16 clinical c enters (CCs) performed a range of tasks such as mailings, telephoning, and clerical work. SHEP volunteers donated almost 40,000 hours, at an estimated cost savings to the program of more than $368, 000. Staff v olunteers appear to require more training and supervision than regular staff and may require flexible work schedules. These limitations can be obviated by careful planning. This paper describes the SHEP experie nce with staff volunteers and provides suggestions for their use in ot her trials.