Piloting the better research interactions for every family (BRIEF) researcher intervention to support recruitment for a neonatal clinical trial: parent experience and infant enrollment.

OBJECTIVE

Recruiting for neonatal clinical trials is difficult for families and participation rates are low. We partnered with the DIVI (Darbepoetin plus slow-release IntraVenous Iron) trial for pilot feasibility evaluation of the BRIEF (Better Research Interactions for Every Family) intervention.

STUDY DESIGN

Pre/post design to compare infant data and parent surveys and interviews before and after the BRIEF intervention as well as comparing DIVI enrolled and DIVI not enrolled.

RESULTS

Enrollment rates and parental experiences were similar in pre- and post-BRIEF eras. Most respondents reported positive interactions with researchers. Parents who declined DIVI reported somewhat  worse experiences compared to those who enrolled. Interview respondents reported widely variable experiences. The narrow enrollment window emerged as particularly important to parents' recruitment experience.

CONCLUSIONS

The BRIEF intervention was well received and is ready for larger scale testing to assess its impact on parental experience and enrollment rates. Future work should address short enrollment windows common in neonatal clinical trials.