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Clinical Research

Clinical & Translational Science Institute / Clinical Research / Recruiting Participants / Recruitment Tools

Recruitment Tools

Note: During the COVID-19 emergency, the University of Rochester Medical Center has placed enrollment in clinical trials on hold and paused select research activities. Please review our guidance document and visit the University’s webpage on Guidance for Human Subject Research to learn more about how this policy may affect your research study.

Advertising Your Studies

There are many ways to advertise your clinical research studies to recruit participants, including flyers, TV, radio, newspaper, and social media. To help you decide which method of advertising is best for your study, read the RSRB Policy/Guidance for Internet Based Research & Research Using Social Media and check out this online advertising decision guide. You can also consult a professional to help develop your marketing strategy by contacting the Research Help Desk.

Have a question? Contact the URMC Marketing Department.

Study Ad Examples

Below are examples of URMC-approved ads that can be used to market an IRB-approved study. These include URMC-branded brochures, flyers, and newsletter or newspaper ads.

Where to Find Free Images

Below are several websites where you may find images to use in your advertisements. Always be sure to comply with copyright restrictions.

Research Recruiting Documents and Templates

  • Video: Volunteer for Health Research – This three-minute video includes testimonials from several study participants about why it is important to get involved in health research.
  • Dr. to Dr. Letter – This document can be used to introduce a study to a physician and to ask them to refer patients to your study for enrollment.
  • Principles of Recruitment – Things to consider when planning, implementing and evaluating recruitment into health research studies
  • Feasibility Assessment – Things to consider when doing a Feasibility Assessment for Recruitment and Retention of Research Subjects
  • Facebook-and-Instagram-Ads-Template-for-IRB-Submission - What information does the IRB need in order to approve my dynamic Facebook or Instagram ads?
  • Recruitment Funnel – What is a Recruitment Funnel? How is it useful when planning a health research study?
  • Data Collection – Why do we collect data? How do we collect data?
  • Pre-Enrollment Tracking – Tracking recruitment prior to study enrollment
  • Enrollment Tracking – Tracking subjects who enroll in health research studies, where do they come from?
  • Recruitment Strategy and Budget Planning Worksheet – Which recruitment resources do you plan to use? Different people will learn about your trial in different ways so consider implementing multiple recruitment tools. The more effective components there are in a recruitment plan, the more likely you will reach your recruitment goals.
  • Quarterly Recruitment and Enrollment Milestone Report – A recruitment timeline spreadsheet will also be helpful to get a better idea of site resource load per week and the expected number of subject visits and types of visits.
  • Recruitment Accrual - Study Visit Planning Spreadsheet – It is very helpful to forecast your research participant recruitment timelines by plotting out the expected or targeted number of participants recruited compared to the actual number of participants recruited.

Additional Resources

Research Coordinators Group (SCORE)

SCORE supports education and networking for URMC research coordinators and staff. Recruitment tools and resources are often presented at monthly meetings. Learn more about SCORE

Center for Community Health & Prevention (CCHP)

The mission of CCHP is to join forces with the community to eliminate health disparities and improve health through research, education and service. Community engagement can be an important tool in developing a successful clinical study. Getting input from the community on your protocol and recruitment plan will make your recruitment goals easier to achieve. CCHP’s research resources.

Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP)

CISCRP provides healthcare professionals with resources to better understand the study volunteer and facilitates collaborations among all members of the clinical research enterprise. The provide examples of recruitment materials and data on what motivates participants to join a research study. Learn more about CISCRP.

Antidote.me

This guide from Antidote.me provides tips about different forms of advertising and when to use them. It contains helpful information you need to kick off a successful clinical trial advertising campaign. How-to Guide for Advertising

Forte Tips for Patient Recruitment

Tips for patient recruitment strategies used in clinical research to increase patient enrollment.

This link connects your with Forte’s blog page on enrollment and retention. There are many articles related to the topics of recruitment and retention. Patient enrollment and retention