B. Valanis et al., MAILING STRATEGIES AND COSTS OF RECRUITING HEAVY SMOKERS IN CARET, A LARGE CHEMOPREVENTION TRIAL, Controlled clinical trials, 19(1), 1998, pp. 25-38
Citations number
9
Categorie Soggetti
Medicine, Research & Experimental","Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Recruitment costs represent a major portion of the budget for large cl
inical trials during the initial years of the study. Further, the rate
of recruitment affects allocation of resources in future years. To le
arn about the costs and yields of recruiting from different population
s and under different mailing strategies, we monitored recruitment yie
lds of eligible heavy smokers for the Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Tr
ial (CARET) at the Portland Study Center. Yields from the mailings, me
asured by response rate, percent of potential participants randomized,
and related costs per randomization varied both by mailing strategy a
nd by population targeted. Yield and cost varied significantly across
population sources. Less variation was observed among various mailing
strategies. Tracking the recruitment process yield provided useful inf
ormation that allowed us to adjust recruitment approaches and achieve
our randomization goals quickly and economically. (C) Elsevier Science
Inc. 1998.