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Optimizing Retention in a Pragmatic Trial of Community-Living Older Persons: The STRIDE Study.

Authors :
Gill TM
McGloin JM
Shelton A
Bianco LM
Skokos EA
Latham NK
Ganz DA
Nyquist LV
Wallace RB
Carnie MB
Dykes PC
Goehring LA
Doyle M
Charpentier PA
Greene EJ
Araujo KL
Source :
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society [J Am Geriatr Soc] 2020 Jun; Vol. 68 (6), pp. 1242-1249. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Mar 25.
Publication Year :
2020

Abstract

Objectives: The Strategies to Reduce Injuries and Develop Confidence in Elders (STRIDE) study is testing the effectiveness of a multifactorial intervention to prevent serious fall injuries. Our aim was to describe procedures that were implemented to optimize participant retention; report retention yields by age, sex, clinical site, and follow-up time; provide reasons for study withdrawals; and highlight the successes and lessons learned from the STRIDE retention efforts.<br />Design: Pragmatic cluster randomized trial.<br />Setting: A total of 86 primary care practices within 10 US healthcare systems.<br />Participants: A total of 5451 community-living persons, 70 years of age or older, at high risk for serious fall injuries.<br />Measurements: Study outcomes were collected every 4 months by a central call center. Reconsent was required to extend follow-up beyond the originally planned 36 months.<br />Results: Over a median follow-up of 3.2 years (interquartile range = 2.8-3.7 y), 439 (8.1%) participants died and 600 (11.0%) withdrew their consent or did not reconsent to extend follow-up beyond 36 months, yielding rates (per 100 person-years) of deaths and withdrawals of 2.6 and 3.6, respectively. The withdrawal rate increased with advancing age, was comparable for men and women, and did not differ much by clinical site. The most common reasons for withdrawal were illness and unable to contact for reconsent at 36 months. Completion of the follow-up interviews was greater than 93% at each time point. Most participants completed all (71.8%) or all but one (9.2%) of the follow-up interviews. The most common reason for not completing a follow-up interview was unable to contact, with rates ranging from 2.8% at 40 months to 4.6% at 20 months.<br />Conclusion: Completion of the thrice-yearly follow-up interviews in STRIDE was high, and retention of participants over 44 months exceeded the original projections. The procedures used in STRIDE, together with lessons learned, should assist other investigators who are planning or conducting large pragmatic trials of vulnerable older persons. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1242-1249, 2020.<br /> (© 2020 The American Geriatrics Society.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1532-5415
Volume :
68
Issue :
6
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
32212395
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.16356