Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34653651›Full record

Trial reportContemporary clinical trials2021

A/B design testing of a clinical trial recruitment website: A pilot study to enhance the enrollment of older adults.

Hailey N Miller, Timothy B Plante, Kelly T Gleason, Jeanne Charleston, Christine M Mitchell, Edgar R Miller, Lawrence J Appel, Stephen P Juraschek

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Contemporary clinical trials, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02166333 (Vitamin D Supplements to Prevent Falls in Older Adults), which is not on this map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT02166333 naterminatednot on this map

Vitamin D Supplements to Prevent Falls in Older Adults: A Dose-Response Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorJohns Hopkins UniversityRan2015 to 2019Enrolled688ConditionsVitamin D Deficiency, FallsArms200 IU/d cholecalciferol, 1000 IU/d cholecalciferol, 2000 IU/d cholecalciferol, 4000 IU/d cholecalciferol
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Strategies to improve recruitment to randomised trials.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Randomized Comparison of Online Motivational Themes in Clinical Trial Recruitment.Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes · 2025
    Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
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  8. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Hailey N MillerSchool of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Timothy B PlanteDepartment of Medicine, Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, Colchester, VT, USA.
Kelly T GleasonInstitute for Clinical and Translational Research, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Jeanne CharlestonInstitute for Clinical and Translational Research, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Christine M MitchellWelch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Edgar R MillerWelch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Lawrence J AppelWelch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Stephen P JuraschekDepartment of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: sjurasch@bidmc.harvard.edu.

Funding

QAQC Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational ResearchUL1TR003098 · NCATS · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI FORD, DANIEL ERNEST · 2019 to 2023
$57.7M
Vitamin D Supplements to Prevent Falls in Older Adults: A Dose-Response TrialU01AG047837 · NIA · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI APPEL, LAWRENCE JOHN · 2014 to 2019
$9.5M
Vitamin D, Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease, and Orthostatic Hypotension in Older AdultsK23HL135273 · NHLBI · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI JURASCHEK, STEPHEN P · 2017 to 2021
$1.1M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR003098NHLBI NIH HHS K23 HL135273NIA NIH HHS U01 AG047837
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionOnline tools are increasingly utilized in clinical trial recruitment. A/B testing is an effective technology used in political campaigns and commercial marketing to improve contributions or sales. However, to our knowledge, A/B has not been described in the context of clinical trial recruitment.

methodsTwo A/B testing experiments were implemented on the recruitment website of the Study To Understand Fall Reduction and Vitamin D in You (STURDY), a response-adaptive, two-stage, randomized controlled trial. Commercial A/B platforms randomized web-users to different versions of the trial's website landing page; Experiment 1 included two infographic versions and Experiment 2 included three video versions. We compared web-user engagement metrics between each version and the original landing page. We determined the effect of each version compared to the original landing page on the likelihood of a web-user to (1) request more information about the trial, (2) complete a screening visit, or (3) enroll in the trial.

resultsA total of 2605 and 374 web-users visited the trial's website during Experiment 1 and 2, respectively. Response to the online interest form significantly differed by infographic version in Experiment 1. The number of individuals who engaged with website content and pages significantly differed by video in Experiment 2.

conclusionIn a pilot study implementing A/B testing of a clinical trial recruitment website, different versions of the website led to differences in web-user engagement and interest in the trial. A/B testing tools offer a promising approach to test the effectiveness of clinical trial recruitment materials and to optimize recruitment campaigns. CLINICAL

trial registrationThis trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. The trial registration number is NCT02166333. The URL is: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02166333 Trial Registration Number: NCT02166333 Trial Register: ClinicalTrials.gov.

Indexed as

Vitamin DVitaminsAccidental FallsAgedHumansPilot ProjectsVitamin DVitaminsA/B testingClinical trialsRandomized control trialRecruitment methods

Identifiers

PMID34653651
PMCPMC8995844

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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.