Recruiting and retaining participants in three randomised controlled trials of psychological interventions conducted on acute psychiatric wards: top ten tips for success

[摘要] Background It is essential to conduct randomised controlled trials of psychological interventions on acute psychiatric wards to build arobust evidence base for clinical practice.AimsThis paper aims to share strategies from three different in-patienttrials that successfully recruited and retained participants, todisseminate good practice for the conduct of future trials in thischallenging and complex clinical setting.MethodWe present strategies from three in-patient trials of psychological interventions: TULIPS (Talk, Understand, Listen forInpatient Settings), amBITION (Brief Talking Therapies on Wards)and INSITE (Inpatient Suicide Intervention and TherapyEvaluation). All studies recruited participants from acute inpatient wards, initiated therapy within the in-patient setting andfollowed up on participants post-discharge.ResultsWe summarise our recommendations for good practice in theform of ten top tips for success, based on our collectiveexperience of conducting trials on psychiatric wards. Key themesrelate to the importance of relationships between the researchteam and clinical staff; good stakeholder involvement and getting early buy-in from the team; and adapting to the particulardemands of the clinical setting.ConclusionsSharing good practice recommendations can help reduceresearch waste arising from poor recruitment and/or retention infuture in-patient clinical trials.

[学科分类] 计算机科学（综合）

[关键词] Psychiatric hospitals;randomised controlled trial;patient recruitment;individual psychotherapy;clinical psychology