Premium
Research Subject Enroller Program: A Key to Successful Emergency Medicine Research
Author(s) -
Cobaugh Daniel J.,
Spillane Linda L.,
Schneider Sandra M.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
academic emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.221
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1553-2712
pISSN - 1069-6563
DOI - 10.1111/j.1553-2712.1997.tb03748.x
Subject(s) - medicine , emergency department , retrospective cohort study , medline , family medicine , clinical trial , emergency medicine , clinical research , research design , prospective cohort study , medical emergency , nursing , political science , law , social science , sociology
Objective : To describe the successful use and impact of individuals paid to enroll clinical research subjects in support of emergency medicine (EM) research. Program Description : Paramedics and college students were hired to identify/enroll subjects in EM research studies 14 hours/day, 7 days/week. Potential subjects were identified by monitoring emergency medical services radios, routine rounding in the ED, and communication with the ED attending and charge nurse. Enrollers were trained in phlebotomy, obtaining ECGs, obtaining consent in appropriate studies, and post‐ED follow‐up. They supported ED prospective studies and multicenter clinical trials, as well as departmental surveys and retrospective studies. Survey support included mailing list development, mailing completion, survey database design, and data entry. Program Outcomes : Over 18 months, 17 prospective studies and 8 surveys/retrospective studies were completed. 2,175 subjects were enrolled in prospective studies and 6,500 surveys/retrospective reviews were completed. In the year prior to enroller program initiation, <100 subjects were enrolled in 3 departmental studies. Conclusion : Use of paid, clinical research subject enrollers supports successful recruitment of study subjects and the completion of EM research studies.