Women Participating in Clinical Research Studies VA Example: Recruiting Women Where Everyone is Male Wendy Muzzy, Instructor College of Nursing Stephanie Hamski, Research Coordinator Ron Acierno, College of Nursing

Study Details Funded by Department of Defense Only female Veterans Very small percentage of VA patients are women Recruitment locations MUSC Charleston VAMC and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs)

Barriers to Recruitment Limited potential participant pool Suspicion or fear of research and/or treatment (applies to many populations) Scheduling conflicts (children, work, etc.) Resources and logistics (costs more than we sometimes think to participate)

Lessons Learned Plan on recruitment being the most difficult challenge of the study Budget accordingly Identify and address barriers/limitations (e.g., expand the recruitment area, educate providers and potential participants) Follow recruitment and enrollment targets weekly

Lessons Learned Revise the plan as you go Reality: SOME THINGS DON’T WORK Participant feedback is key Financial compensation should reflect the participants’ time and effort Reduce participant burden when possible Do you really need all those self reports?