Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Sep 19, 2024
Open Peer Review Period: Sep 23, 2024 - Nov 18, 2024
Date Accepted: Dec 9, 2024
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
The effect on response rates of adding a QR code to patient consent forms for qualitative research with cancer patients: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
The successful conduct of health and medical research is largely dependent on participant recruitment. Effective, yet inexpensive methods of increasing response rates for all types of research are required. Quick Response (QR) codes are now commonplace, and despite having been extensively used to recruit study participants, a search of the literature failed to reveal any randomised trial investigating the effect of adding a QR code on qualitative research response rates.
Objective:
To collect data regarding the impact of the addition of a QR code to a patient consent form for a qualitative research study on cancer patients’ rates of response, consent and decline, and the average time taken to respond.
Methods:
This was a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) embedded within a qualitative research study. Forty eligible patients received a recruitment pack for the qualitative study which included an information statement, a consent form, and an addressed, stamped envelope to return their consent form. Patients were randomised in a 1:1 ratio to the control (standard recruitment pack only) or intervention group (standard recruitment pack including modified consent form with a QR code).
Results:
Twenty-seven out of 40 patients responded to the consent form. A lower proportion of the QR code group (60%) responded, compared to 75% of the standard recruitment group. However, a higher proportion of the QR group consented (35%) compared to the standard recruitment group (20%), and a lower proportion of the QR group declined (25%) relative to the standard recruitment group (55%). The mean response time of the QR code group was 16 days compared to 19 days for the standard recruitment group. None of the age-adjusted analyses were statistically significant.
Conclusions:
This trial provides useful preliminary data on the potential impact of QR codes on patient response rates to invitations to participate in qualitative research and can be used to inform a fully powered randomised control trial.
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