SEES_Participant Recruitment Protocol

SciMetrika ECHPP Evaluation and Survey

Participant Recruitment Process

SciMetrika ECHPP Evaluation and Survey

Participant Recruitment Process

Overview of SEES Participant Recruitment

To recruit participants for the SEES surveys, SciMetrika staff will visit prepare community venue locations and previously identified clinics to recruit potential participants and conduct the surveys. Venues and clinics will be identified by SciMetrika site staff in collaboration with local health department staff and community advisors to determine the best locations and strategy for approaching individuals about the project. Strategies may vary across city jurisdictions, venue and clinics, though individual venue and clinic identification is clearly defined and documented through project identified processes of venue observation, clinic recruitment, and documentation.

Participant recruitment for the community venues and clinics are described below.

Community Survey Recruitment

Recruitment Methodology

1. Interviewers should arrive at their scheduled recruitment venue prepared with necessary materials for survey recruitment and interviewing. Interviewers must always work in pairs at least, though the site coordinator may schedule a larger number of interviewers based on interviewer availability, recruitment potential, or safety of a given venue.

2. Interviewers will observe the venue’s current traffic flow and general recruitment potential at the time of their shift.

3. If applicable, interviewers will announce themselves to the venue owners/gatekeepers and ask if there are any special considerations for that day (i.e. locations for conducting interviews, considerations regarding venue patrons, etc.).

4. Interviewers will determine their placement for recruitment and interviewing, ensuring that interviewing space is private or semi-private.

5. Interviewer will approach potential participants, provide an introduction, and give brief explanation of survey (Community Survey Introduction Script).

   1. If individual refuses, interviewer will log the attempted recruitment on the iPad survey portal and continue with recruitment efforts.

   2. If individual agrees to participate, interviewer will obtain verbal consent (Community Survey Informed Consent Script).

6. When an individual has given verbal, informed consent to participate, the interviewer will proceed with the eligibility screener.

7. If an individual is determined to be ineligible for participation in the community-based survey, the iPad will automatically end their survey.

8. If an individual is determined to be eligible for participation in the community-based survey, the iPad will automatically continue into the questionnaire. The interviewer will conduct the survey as written.

9. Upon successful completion of the screener and questionnaire, the survey participant will receive a gift of $25 for their involvement in the study.

10. After concluding an interview with one participant, the interviewer will resume participant recruitment efforts. No more than 10 participants should be recruited from any one venue during a given recruitment shift.

Special Cases

• Individuals who request to be interviewed: may be interviewed, if an interviewer is available.

• Individuals who agree to participate but want to be interviewed at a different time: Individual appointments will not be scheduled at community venues. If an individual would like to participate in the future, field staff may provide a business card with instructions to contact the site coordinator regarding future survey administration opportunities.

• Individuals who request a different interviewer: A participant may request a different interviewer at the same venue and time assuming that:

  1. A second interviewer is available

  2. The participant has not yet begun the eligibility screener. If a participant has already begun the screener/survey, s/he may choose to end the survey at any point but may not switch between interviewers mid-survey.

If a participant requests a different interviewer and the second interviewer is occupied, the participant may either wait until the second interviewer is available or may obtain a business card with instructions to contact the site coordinator regarding future survey administration opportunities.

• Individuals who wish to refer other participants at the time of their interview: may do so if an interviewer is available. Referred individuals may complete the interview at the time of referral.

• Individuals who wish to refer other participants in the future: Individual appointments will not be scheduled at community venues. Individuals who wish to refer other participants may be given a business card with instructions to contact the site coordinator for future survey administration opportunities.

• Suspected repeat participants: In the event that an interviewer has interviewed an individual previously, yet the individual claims otherwise, the interviewer should proceed into the eligibility screener. At the point in the screener where the iPad prompts interviewers to assure the individual is able to complete the survey, the interviewer should enter “No”, provide explanation in the comments section (with no personal identifiers included), and inform the individual that the computer has determined they are ineligible to participate.

• Participants under the Influence: If a participant is incapable of completing the survey due to drug or alcohol use, yet expresses interest in participating, interviewers should proceed into the eligibility screener. At the point in the screener where the iPad prompts interviewers to assure the individual is able to complete the survey, the interviewer should enter “No”, provide explanation in the comments section (with no personal identifiers included), and inform the individual that the computer has determined they are ineligible to participate.

Clinic Survey Recruitment

Recruitment Methodology

1. Interviewers will be trained in processes for successful participant recruitment and approved clinic staff will be briefed regarding their involvement as well.

2. Participants will be introduced to the project by clinic staff, either by the physician or by the first health care provider they encounter (i.e. nurse who checks height/weight). The health care provider will verbally introduce the project and provide a brochure with relevant project information.

3. Potential survey participants may complete the clinic-based survey eligibility screener and questionnaire in one of the following ways:

   1. Potential participants may contact SciMetrika staff directly to set up an appointment for survey administration.

   2. The Site Coordinator may establish a schedule for project activities and interviewing for each facility clinic. If an individual is interested in participating at the time of their primary appointment, SciMetrika staff would be available to conduct the survey.

   3. Individuals may learn of regularly-schedule SciMetrika recruitment shifts from clinic staff and return to the facility at those times for participation.

4. When an individual agrees to and is available to participate in the clinic-based survey, the interviewer will obtain verbal consent (see Clinic Survey Informed Consent Script).

5. When an individual has given verbal, informed consent to participate, the interviewer will proceed with the eligibility screener.

6. If an individual is determined to be ineligible for participation in the clinic-based survey, the iPad will automatically end their survey.

7. If an individual is determined to be eligible for participation in the clinic-based survey, the iPad will automatically continue into the questionnaire. The interviewer will conduct the survey as written.

8. Upon successful completion of the screener and questionnaire, the survey participant will receive a gift of $40 for their involvement in the study.

9. After concluding an interview with one participant, the interviewer will resume participant recruitment efforts.

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