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 | ||