WhAM
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Which Automated Methodology?
IRAS ID
324644
Contact name
Sarah A Lawton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Keele University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 31 days
Research summary
When conducting research, which data collection method to use, can be a difficult decision for many researchers. Choosing an inappropriate method can result in untrustworthy findings and therefore wrong conclusions. The use of digital technologies to improve the quality and reduce the cost of health care services, is a vision set out by government in 2021. How digital technologies can be used, in carrying out health research, is an area we don’t know a lot about and needs further research. This study will therefore investigate how we invite people to take part in research and which digital methods people use, to take part.
It is commonly known that the recruitment of research participants from primary care settings is difficult. The Covid-19 pandemic however highlighted the importance of primary care, in the delivery of healthcare research, which is the setting where most patients visit. Being contacted about a research study of importance, is the first step in a patients journey towards taking part in a research study. Patients will though, often drop out before they actually consent to take part in a research study. A recent NIHR survey suggested a positive increase in the public’s attitude to health research. This research study will also investigate whether, since Covid-19, people are actually more or less willing to take part in research and their reasons for this.
The digital methods used for collecting data in this study, will include: automated check-in screens; Short Messaging Service (SMS or text message) with online data collection; and postal invitations from the general practice, with online data collection accessed by a quick response (QR) code or website. All people of age 18 years and over, registered at a participating general practice, will be allowed to take part. Data collected will include demographics, a data item on general health and one on willingness to take part in research.REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/WM/0132
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jun 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion