Author:
van der Gaag Wendelien H,van den Berg Roxanne,Koes Bart W,Bohnen Arthur M,Hazen Lonny MG,Peul Wilco C,Voogt Leen,Verhagen Arianne P,Bierma-Zeinstra Sita MA,Luijsterburg Pim AJ
Abstract
BackgroundA randomised controlled trial (RCT) in general practice, recruiting incident patients with (sub)acute sciatica, was discontinued because of insufficient recruitment.AimTo describe factors that influenced the recruitment process and ultimately led to discontinuation of this trial, and to enable others to learn from this experience.Design & settingA pragmatic RCT was designed to compare two pain medication prescription strategies for treatment of (sub)acute sciatica in general practice. After 1 year of patient recruitment, the trial was prematurely terminated.MethodTo analyse the underperforming recruitment, patient information systems of 20 general practices were screened twice a month to search for eligible patients and identify reasons for non-eligibility. Secondly, after study termination, an open question was distributed to the participating GPs for their views on the recruitment process.ResultsA total of 116 GPs from 37 general practices collaborated in the trial. Only eight of 234 patients were included after 12 months. The 22 GPs who offered their opinion on the main reasons for unsuccessful recruitment considered that these were the low incidence rate and strict eligibility criteria, a strong patient and/or GP preference, and time constraints.ConclusionFor this RCT, multiple factors were related to recruitment problems but it remains unknown which determinants prevailed. As the research question is unanswered but remains relevant, it is recommended that GPs’ daily practice is taken into account when designing an RCT, a pilot study should be performed for feasibility of recruitment, and GP assistants should be involved at an early stage.
Publisher
Royal College of General Practitioners
Reference43 articles.
1. Two decades of change in European general practice service profiles: conditions associated with the developments in 28 countries between 1993 and 2012
2. List size, composition of practice and general practitioners' workload in the Netherlands
3. van den Berg MKE De Bakker D Van der Zee J (2006) in Morbidity, performance and quality in primary care. Dutch general practice on stage, eds Westert GP J L Schellevis FG (Radcliffe Publishing, Oxford) eds. The workload of general practitioners in the Netherlands: 1987 and 2001.
4. Schäfer WGP van den Berg M (2016) The workload of general practitioners; the Netherlands in an international perspective. [In Dutch] (NIVEL, Utrecht).
5. Schäfer WLA vdBM, Groenewegen PP. The workload of GPs in international perspective. [In Dutch];Huisarts en Wetenschap,2016
Cited by
13 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献