Improving recruitment to health research in primary care

Background. Recruitment to health research is known to be problematic. However, evidence concerning ways of improving recruitment is sparse. Objective. To outline the process of recruitment, factors impacting on recruitment success and key areas for further research and development. Methods. Narrative literature review. Results. This paper argues that three ways of improving recruitment should form the focus of future work: developing a repository of evidence-based techniques and methods which can be introduced by research teams; developing the infrastructure to support recruitment, especially new technologies around the electronic patient record; and increasing public engagement with research, to improve participation by both clinicians and patients. Conclusion. Recruitment to health research in primary care remains a major hurdle, and key research and development priorities must be addressed. © The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.