Improving Iowa Research Network Patient Recruitment for an Advance Care Planning Study

Abstract

Introduction/Objectives In February 2019, recruitment began in Iowa Research Network offices for a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) funded Advance Care Planning (ACP) study to be conducted in 7 primary care practice-based research networks across the United States and Canada. The main study trained clinicians and nursing staff in serious illness care conversations and requested they refer eligible patients. Eligible patients were those with serious illness or frailty expected to live 1 to 2 years. Clinicians indicated it was difficult to identify eligible patients. This study aimed to find better methods for increasing patient recruitment for the ACP study. Methods Research staff brainstormed and implemented strategies to increase patient referrals from clinicians. Participating offices used Epic for their medical record and the Gagne Index was used to generate a list of eligible patients in Epic SlicerDicer. When patients from the Epic SlicerDicer report appeared on the schedule, clinicians and nursing staff were notified that they might be eligible for ACP. Clinicians and nursing staff were asked to complete a survey identifying their perception of implemented strategies. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was conducted to compare referral numbers before and after the Gagne Index/Epic SlicerDicer intervention. Results Seven clinicians referred patients prior to and 11 after the Gagne Index/Epic SlicerDicer intervention. Clinicians referred a total of 120 patients; 31 patients prior to and 89 patients after the Gagne Index/Epic SlicerDicer implementation ( P = .002). Survey results indicated that several strategies facilitated clinician referrals, including patients identified as potentially appropriate on the schedule, quarterly meetings with researchers, and e-mails with a list of potentially eligible patients. Conclusions Notifying clinical staff about potential study participants increased patient referrals in this ACP study. Research staff must have time, funding, and patience to support clinical staff who are expected to refer patients to studies.