Congress Abstracts 2005

33

RECRUITMENT CHALLENGES FOR LUNG CANCER NURSING RESEARCH. Lauri John, PhD, RN, CNS, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX.

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosis in men and women. Quality of life and fatigue are significant problems in this population. Nursing research is uniquely qualified to address these issues; however, recruitment of participants to nursing studies presents a daunting challenge. In the current HIPPA environment in which researcher contact with patients (potential participants) is severely limited, the challenges for recruitment are amplified.

The purpose of this study is to examine challenges to recruitment of lung cancer patients into a seated exercise study focusing on promoting quality of life and decreasing fatigue.

Roy’s Adaptation model is used to guide this study.

Persons diagnosed with primary lung cancer beginning treatment were recruited from local community oncology clinics. Recruitment strategies included: flyers placed in waiting rooms and posted in exam areas, presentations to clinic nurses, social workers, financial counselors, and physicians, announcements in professional oncology nursing meetings, advertisements in local oncology nursing newsletters, and announcements in support groups by group facilitators.

Effectiveness of recruitment strategies was evaluated based on number of participants recruited by each strategy and by narrative descriptions given by participants regarding the acceptability of each strategy.

The most effective recruitment strategy identified by participants was a flyer delivered to them by their nurses, and the second most effective strategy was flyers delivered by the financial counselors. Participants stated that they were reluctant to be publicly identified as lung cancer patients. They suggested that potential participants might be less receptive to picking up flyers advertising lung cancer studies placed in public areas. It was more acceptable to receive the flyer from their oncolgy nurse, social worker, or financial counselor. Given the impact fatige has on quality of life in lung cancer patients and the difficulties with recruitment, researchers will need to be even more creative in discovering new and acceptable ways to reach this often overlooked population.