Table 2.

Strategies for improving clinical research fidelity: data collection and management.

Area addressed	Strategies
Clinician and rater baseline training	Employ experienced clinicians with strong clinical skills
	Have experts in specific assessment/treatment protocols train clinicians and serve as consultants as needed
	Create detailed, written manuals for all assessment/treatment tasks
	Create detailed, written manuals for scoring/coding outcome measures
	Video-record all training to be used in multiple facilities with all clinicians and raters
Recruitment	Create and maintain an informative website
	Create an active social media presence
	Develop regularly occurring community outreach activities (e.g., monthly lunch group, support groups, drama club, tailgating)
	Develop a professional referral program with medical professionals (e.g., therapists, neurologists) who regularly see your target population
	Employ a diverse recruiting staff who can reach out to underrepresented, minority populations
Retention	Provide clear information about study requirements and schedule
	Accommodate participant schedules as much as possible
	Provide assistance with transportation and lodging
	Have one primary research staff member assigned to work with each participant
Data capture and management	Consult with a data management organization for collection, organization, and analysis
	Have technology support personnel for all electronic data gathering and data storage systems