ArticleBMJ leader2023
Identification of the ideal recruitment situation in pandemic research: learning from the RECOVERY trial in Northern England: a qualitative study.
Article in BMJ leader, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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
3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Operational strategies among infectious disease clinical trial sites during pandemics: a scoping review.Trials · 2026Article
- PEARLES challenges and solutions to the implementation of clinical research responses to epidemics and pandemics: a scoping review.EClinicalMedicine · 2025Review
- The response of Canada's clinical health research ecosystem to the COVID-19 pandemic.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn early 2020, little was known about treatments for COVID-19. The UK responded by initiating a call for research, leading to the formation of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Urgent Public Health (UPH) group. Fast-track approvals were initiated and support was offered to research sites via the NIHR. The Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy (RECOVERY) trial was designated UPH. High recruitment rates were required for timely results. Recruitment rates were inconsistent across different hospitals and places. PURPOSE: The Factors Affecting Recruitment to the RECOVERY trial study was designed to seek out the facilitators and barriers to recruitment across a population of 3 million served by eight different hospitals and suggest recommendations for recruitment to UPH research during a pandemic situation.
methodsA qualitative grounded theory study using situational analysis was used. This included a contextualisation of each recruitment site containing prepandemic operational status, prior research activity, COVID-19 admission rates and UPH activity. Additionally, one-to-one interviews using topic guides were completed with NHS staff involved in the RECOVERY trial. Analysis sought out the narratives that shaped recruitment activity.
resultsAn ideal recruitment situation was identified. The closer sites were able to move towards that ideal situation, the easier they found it to implement the most significant factor on recruitment: embedding research recruitment into standard care. The ability to move to the ideal recruitment situation was mediated by five significant elements: uncertainty, prioritisation, leadership, engagement and communication.
conclusionEmbedding recruitment into routine clinical care was the most influential factor on recruitment to the RECOVERY trial. To enable this, sites needed to attain the ideal recruitment situation. Prior research activity, size of site and regulator grading did not correlate with high recruitment rates. Research should be at the forefront of prioritisation during future pandemics.
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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.