title: Dyadic recruitment in complementary therapy studies: experience from a clinical trial of caregiver-delivered reflexology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As home-based care continues to be a growing trend in health care, involvement of friend and family caregivers in the management of illness becomes essential. However, before nurses can prepare caregivers to engage in various types of care, an evidence base needs to be established via randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Research suggests that recruiting cancer patients and their friend or family caregivers into RCTs presents challenges. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the barriers to recruitment of patient-caregiver dyads into a RCT of caregiver-delivered reflexology and to recommend strategies to address such barriers.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper reports on a nurse-directed RCT that involved recruitment efforts unique to a caregiver-delivered reflexology protocol for advanced-stage breast cancer patients. Ineligibility due to caregiver-related reasons, consent among eligible patients (out of 551 approached patients), and reasons for refusal were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Almost one-third of patients were found to be ineligible due to the lack of a caregiver to participate with them and provide this form of social support. Among eligible patients, the consent rate for this dyadic study is much lower than that of previous RCTs of reflexologist-delivered reflexology that enrolled just patients, not dyads.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Implications for nursing practice and research include addressing the need for greater social support for patients and strategies for problem-solving refusal reasons during study enrollment.
authors: Department of Communication, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States. Electronic address: holmstr6@msu.edu.
authors: Amanda J
authors: AJ
authors: Holmstrom
authors: College of Nursing, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States. Electronic address: Gwen.Wyatt@hc.msu.edu.
authors: Gwen K
authors: GK
authors: Wyatt
authors: Department of Statistics and Probability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States. Electronic address: sikorska@stt.msu.edu.
authors: Alla
authors: A
authors: Sikorskii
authors: Department of Communication, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States. Electronic address: musatics@msu.edu.
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Musatics
authors: College of Communication Arts & Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States. Electronic address: stolzemi@gmail.com.
authors: Emily
authors: E
authors: Stolz
authors: Department of Communication, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States. Electronic address: nhavener@gmail.com.
authors: Neala
authors: N
authors: Havener
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D017028:Caregivers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage; D008875:Middle Aged; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Breast cancer; Caregivers; Dyadic enrollment; Nursing role in home care; Reflexology