| Reaching special populations adds a layer of complexity
to an already multifaceted recruitment process. These patients are
often isolated and insulated—by geography, language, culture,
illness, or even distrust and fear of the healthcare system. By
and large, these patients exist outside the reach of Investigator
practices.
Outreach to special populations can mean using television or radio
to connect with millions of people. It can also mean grassroots
canvassing of neighborhoods to find the one community activist or
business that opens the floodgate to many patients.
Whether gender, ethnicity, age, or the rarity of the condition
makes the population “special,” novel approaches may
unlock an undiscovered cache of patients. Whatever the approach,
the message must address what makes the population being recruited
different, and be said in a way that makes that difference special.
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