Table 2.
General practice and GP recruitment results (from highest to lowest number of practices recruited)
| Recruitment strategy | Mailout to GPs | Online survey (GPs, practice staff) | Presentation at GP practices | Contact via word of mouth within iSOLVE professional network | Medication management workshop | iSOLVE webpage | University Department of GP presentation | Clinical audit activity | Newsletters and email invitations | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline number | 432 GPs (2015) | 890 GPs (2016) | 1400 emails, 41 responses |
18 practices | Unknown | 5 GPs (2015) | 11 GPs (2016) | Unknown | 30–50 attendees | Unknown | Unknown |
|
Informal contact n = 70 practices |
8 | 8 | 13 | 18 | 10 (allied health n = 4, SNPHN n = 4, GP n = 2) | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Visited n = 51 practices | 7 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Expressed interest n = 36 practices | 3 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|
Total recruited n = 27 practices (% contacted) |
9 (56%) |
6 (46%) |
5 (28%) |
3 (30%) |
2 (25%) |
1 (100%) |
1 (100%) |
0 (0%) |
0 (0%) |
||
|
Total GPs recruited n = 75 GPs |
18 | 16 | 18 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Relative cost | $$ (postage) | Nila | $$$ (cateringb) | Nil | Nila | Nil | Nil | Nila | Nil | ||
| Advantages enabling recruitment | Identify GPs with interest in fall prevention | Identify GPs with interest in fall prevention | Face-to-face promotion | Identify GPs with interest in fall prevention | Identify GPs with interest in fall prevention, face-to-face promotion | Increase awareness for iSOLVE | Face-to-face promotion, increase awareness for iSOLVE | Incentive for participation | Increase awareness for iSOLVE | ||
| Disadvantages and barriers to recruitment | Can get lost amongst other letters | Can get lost amongst other emails |
Costly, relevant GPs not available at time of visit, not available for every practice |
Difficult to go through practice staff as the gate keeper of enquiries if the GP(s) did not directly express interest |
GPs interested in fall prevention education but not able to participate in research |
Reach unknown, competing with other promotional efforts | Audience profile varied and included non-GPs, out of area or non-practising GPs | GPs not able or interested to participate in research | Can get lost amongst emails, competing with other promotional efforts | ||
aNo additional costs incurred as the activities were conducted as part of the iSOLVE larger project [4]
bCatering costs for GP practice presentation were higher because catering was considered for all available GPs and staff at the practice rather than being limited to GPs and staff who expressed interest through other strategies