AACAP 2001 research forum: challenges and recommendations regarding recruitment and retention of participants in research investigations.
OBJECTIVE
Clinical research depends on the participation of representative samples. At the 2001 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Workgroup on Research conducted a research forum with the purpose of improving recruitment and retention of children and adolescents in research protocols.


METHODS
An interdisciplinary group of participants focused on (1) consumers and families, (2) communities, (3) professionals and health care delivery systems, (4) regulatory bodies, and (5) alternative research designs. Obstacles and challenges were identified and solutions were discussed.


RESULTS
Key recommendations include the following: Investigators must become involved with community stakeholders and more explicitly communicate with families about research procedures, risks, and benefits; budgets should include explicit items for case management and referrals to families who do not meet entry criteria; the culture of clinical settings must incorporate research conducted by clinicians; regulatory bodies must streamline and coordinate protocols and procedures; designs emphasizing flexible treatment strategies and adaptive treatments should be encouraged; and health care systems should consider changing incentives for research participation, including the radical notion that reimbursement be made in terms of improvement rather than service units.


CONCLUSIONS
An integrated approach is recommended, requiring direct involvement of investigators in communities where research is to be conducted.
Hinshaw
Stephen P
SP
Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1650, USA. hinshaw@socrates.berkeley.edu
Hoagwood
Kimberly
K
Jensen
Peter S
PS
Kratochvil
Christopher
C
Bickman
Leonard
L
Clarke
Greg
G
Abikoff
Howard B
HB
Atkins
Marc
M
Vitiello
Benedetto
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000296:Adolescent Psychiatry; D002648:Child; D002665:Child Psychiatry; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004493:Education; D006801:Humans; D018579:Patient Selection; D012107:Research Design; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014481:United States