Challenges of recruiting emergency department patients to a qualitative study: a thematic analysis of researchers? experiences

Price, Delyth, Edwards, Michelle, Carson-Stevens, Andrew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7580-7699, Cooper, Alison ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8660-6721, Davies, Freya ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6956-1100, Evans, Bridie, Hibbert, Peter, Hughes, Thomas, Rainer, Tim ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3355-3237, Siriwardena, Niro and Edwards, Adrian 2020. Challenges of recruiting emergency department patients to a qualitative study: a thematic analysis of researchers? experiences. BMC Medical Research Methodology 20 (1) , 151. 10.1186/s12874-020-01039-2

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Abstract

Background At times of increasing pressure on emergency departments, and the need for research into different models of service delivery, little is known about how to recruit patients for qualitative research in emergency departments. We report from one study which aimed to collect evidence on patients’ experiences of attending emergency departments with different models of using general practitioners, but faced challenges in recruiting patients. This paper aims to identify and reflect on the challenges faced at all stages of patient recruitment, from identifying and inviting eligible patients, consenting them for participation and finally to engaging them in interviews, and make recommendations based on our learning. Methods A thematic analysis was carried out on field-notes taken during research visits and meeting minutes of discussions to review and improve patient recruitment throughout the study. Results The following factors influenced the success of patient recruitment in the emergency department setting: complicated or time-consuming electronic health record systems for identifying patients; narrow participant eligibility criteria; limited research nurse support; and lack of face-to-face communication between researchers and eligible patients. Conclusions This paper adds to the methodological evidence for improving patient recruitment in different settings, with a focus on qualitative research in emergency departments. Our findings have implications for future studies attempting to recruit patients in similar settings.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine
Additional Information:	This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
Publisher:	BioMed Central
ISSN:	1471-2288
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 April 2022
Date of Acceptance:	1 June 2020
Last Modified:	07 Jun 2023 10:02
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/147299

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