An introduction to ResearchMatch.orgAn introduction to ResearchMatch.org
THE PROBLEM OF PARTICIPANT RECRUITMENT
GROUP 1
WILLING RESEARCH VOLUNTEERS ARE
LOOKING FOR STUDIES
GROUP 2
RESEARCHERS ARE LOOKING FOR STUDY VOLUNTEERS
THE STAKEHOLDERS
THE PROBLEM
THEY ARE NOT CONNECTING
EASILY
DEVELOPING A SOLUTION Creating ResearchMatch.org
Overview of ResearchMatch.org
What is it? What is it not? A new ‘matching’ tool to help
volunteers easily connect with research studies
An innovative national partnership to develop a centralized web-based recruitment registry
A free, complementary recruitment tool
Secure & promotes volunteer choice at all levels
Disease-neutral Anyone residing in the US can join!
The end-all solution to participant recruitment
A replacement for successful, existing recruitment efforts
A tool that permits ‘cold calling’ volunteers
A final product
Background Funded by the Clinical & Translational
Science Awards (CTSA) NIH/NCRR
Currently, 78 institutions are part of the ResearchMatch Network A ResearchMatch Institutional Liaison exists at
every participating institution to provide local oversight and usage of tool
Collaborative project that is hosted at Vanderbilt University Registry tool overseen by the Vanderbilt
IRB Launched volunteer registration with NIH
Press Release in November 2009 Current focus – building awareness of tool
to build the registry population
ResearchMatch = 3 key components
Who is using ResearchMatch?3 key components:
Volunteers: Anyone of any age, ethnicity and condition can register on ResearchMatch. Parents can register children under 19. Caregivers can register those who can’t register themselves
Researchers: Any PI or Proxy (individual determined by PI to use ResearchMatch for recruitment) can use ResearchMatch. This includes research coordinators, research staff assistants, research nurses or any other key study personnel
Liaisons: Individual who manages ResearchMatch at the institution, approves access for researchers, and helps get volunteers signed up
Key Component #1: Volunteers
Anyone residing in the United States who may be willing to learn about research studies that might be of interest to them are welcome to join!
5-10 minute registration processSelfParent/Guardian/Caretaker
Questions include:Basic contact information (protected)Secure username/passwordBasic information (age, race, gender, height, weight, etc.)Voluntary entry of health/medical conditions and medicationsPreference page (e.g. how far are you willing to travel)
Currently, volunteers cannot search for studies in ResearchMatch.
Key Component #2 : Researchers
Who is authorized to use ResearchMatch? PI or Study Coordinator with active, IRB-approved protocol at a
participating institution in the ResearchMatch Network What type of access exists?
Feasibility Access – view aggregate information for grant-writing purposes or hypothesis generation
Recruitment Access – requires IRB-approved protocol and allows researcher to: Search the ‘anonymous’ registry for potential matches to their study Send initial recruitment message to those potentially matching
volunteers The match occurs when volunteers authorize the release of their contact
information once they review this initial recruitment message by email.
Researchers are encouraged to complete the Researcher Interest Form on the site (via the Network tab)
Researcher registration tools available
Key Component #3: Liaisons
Each participating site has at least 1 Institutional Liaison who is responsible for managing researcher requests from their institution through ResearchMatch
Liaison approval consists of reviewing registered information & uploaded IRB approval letter from researcher
Liaison is responsible for setting ResearchMatch access expiration date to match that of the IRB approval letter expiration date Liaison Approval – automatically notifies researcher of recruitment
access privileges Liaison able to review recruitment messages sent by
researchers affiliated with institution Global metrics provided back to Liaison through “Liaison
Dashboard” to provide real-time feedback regarding utilization level
How does ResearchMatch actually work?
Volunteer & Researcher Connection
Step 2: Step 2: Registered researchers search database for individuals (identifiers suppressed) based on study inclusion criteria.
Step 1: Step 1: Potential volunteers (or their parents/caretakers) self-register to indicate a willingness to be contacted for research studies.
Researcher & Liaison Connection
Step 1: Step 1: Researcher (PI or coordinator) registers and provides information regarding IRB-approved protocol.
Step 2: Step 2: Researcher can search registry with feasibility access (aggregate data) while recruitment request pending liaison review.
Researcher & Liaison Connection
Step 4: Step 4: Researcher is notified of approval via email and can begin to search registry and contact potential matches for their study.
Step 3: Step 3: Liaison receives access request. Approves request by setting expiration date to match IRB approval expiration.
Volunteer & Researcher Connection
Step 3: Step 3: Researchers send IRB approved recruitment message to ‘matched’ volunteers. Volunteers may then opt to share identifiable information for direct contact.
Step 4: Step 4: Researchers contact interested volunteers and follow normal study consent procedures.
Additional information
Haewon Park
GU Institutional Liaison
202-444-2793
or
https://www.researchmatch.org/researchers/
www.researchmatch.org
RESEARCHMATCH.ORG
17 FEBRUARY 2010BETHESDA
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