ArticleBMC medical research methodology2020
Challenges of recruiting emergency department patients to a qualitative study: a thematic analysis of researchers' experiences.
Article in BMC medical research methodology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Feasibility, comprehension and applicability of broad consent in the emergency department: an exploratory mixed-methods study.Journal of medical ethics · 2026Article
- A Qualitative Exploration of Post-Injury Challenges and the Potential Role of the PTSD Coach Mobile Application to Improve Recovery Among Acutely Injured Patients.Journal of clinical psychology · 2026Article
- Improving prehospital and emergency care for patients with mental dysregulation: a comprehensive research agenda.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Taxonomy of chronic illness research recruitment: a restricted scoping review.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Barriers to recruitment of an observational SARS-CoV-2 emergency department cohort at Boston Medical Center.BMC emergency medicine · 2025Observational
- Augmenting Insufficiently Accruing Oncology Clinical Trials Using Generative Models: Validation Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Use of the chronic illness research recruitment taxonomy to evaluate recruitment strategies in an eHealth feasibility study.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2025Article
- An Emergency Department-based system intervention to improve osteoporosis screening for older adults at high-risk of fracture.JBMR plus · 2024Article
- Programme theories to describe how different general practitioner service models work in different contexts in or alongside emergency departments (GP-ED): realist evaluation.Emergency medicine journal : EMJ · 2024Article
- Recruiting patients for falls prevention in the emergency department - worth the challenge.BMC geriatrics · 2023Observational
- Identifying facilitators and barriers to integrated and equitable care for community-dwelling older adults with high emergency department use from historically marginalized groups.International journal for equity in health · 2023Article
- Primary and secondary data in emergency medicine health services research - a comparative analysis in a regional research network on multimorbid patients.BMC medical research methodology · 2023Observational
- Implementing public involvement throughout the research process-Experience and learning from the GPs in EDs study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2022Article
- Patients' experiences of attending emergency departments where primary care services are located: qualitative findings from patient and clinician interviews from a realist evaluation.BMC emergency medicine · 2022Article
- An online survey to assess parents' preferences for learning about child health research.Nursing open · 2021Article
- Testing the Feasibility of Sensor-Based Home Health Monitoring (TEC4Home) to Support the Convalescence of Patients With Heart Failure: Pre-Post Study.JMIR formative research · 2021Article
- Public involvement and engagement in primary and emergency care research: the story from PRIME Centre Wales.International journal of population data science · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAt times of increasing pressure on emergency departments, and the need for research into different models of service delivery, little is known about how to recruit patients for qualitative research in emergency departments. We report from one study which aimed to collect evidence on patients' experiences of attending emergency departments with different models of using general practitioners, but faced challenges in recruiting patients. This paper aims to identify and reflect on the challenges faced at all stages of patient recruitment, from identifying and inviting eligible patients, consenting them for participation and finally to engaging them in interviews, and make recommendations based on our learning.
methodsA thematic analysis was carried out on field-notes taken during research visits and meeting minutes of discussions to review and improve patient recruitment throughout the study.
resultsThe following factors influenced the success of patient recruitment in the emergency department setting: complicated or time-consuming electronic health record systems for identifying patients; narrow participant eligibility criteria; limited research nurse support; and lack of face-to-face communication between researchers and eligible patients.
conclusionsThis paper adds to the methodological evidence for improving patient recruitment in different settings, with a focus on qualitative research in emergency departments. Our findings have implications for future studies attempting to recruit patients in similar settings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.