Table 2.

Distribution of responses to the question “Once the researcher receives the list of participants, what recruitment practices are allowed, with IRB approval?”^*

Recruitment practices	n	%
Letter or email may be sent to potential participants inviting them to the research study	49	76
Investigators are allowed to use EHR to build a registry of potential participants for recruitment	47	73
Investigators are allowed to contact patient who have “opted in” to institutional research communication	38	59
Investigator allowed to approach potential participants in clinic who have been previously identified	35	54
Investigator contact with potential participants allowed only after introduction of PCP or clinic/practice	34	53
Investigators are allowed to call potential participants directly	28	43
Letter may be sent from researcher if it provides an explanation about how s/he got the potential participant’s name	22	34
Investigators are allowed to contact patients unless the patients have opted out of institutional research communications	19	29
Other	15	23
Contact with potential participants allowed only if researcher is an MD who works with the study population	14	22

EHR, electronic health records; IRB, Institutional Review Board; PCP, primary care provider.

^*Respondents were instructed to identify all the practices that were allowed at their institution.