Instead of using a paper system, participant data collection is done via the internet.
Internet‐based, electronic data collection compared to paper‐based may reduce recruitment.
A decrease of -13% (95% confidence interval = -24% to -3%).
GRADE Low certainty.
We recommend that trialists use internet-based electronic data collection in the context of an intervention evaluation.
See Resource bundle below for details on how to use internet-based electronic data collection.
Imagine a trial that needs to recruit 30 participants and initial recruitment is 30% of those approached. This means you’d need to approach 100 people to recruit 30 of them (see chart).
Now imagine using internet-based electronic data collection. The chart below shows the impact of an absolute decrease of -13% (95% CI = -24% to -3%). Recruitment is now 17%, which means our best estimate is that 176 people would now need to be approached to recruit 30 of them.
Trial Forge will make trials more efficient by looking for marginal gains across all trial processes, from research question to implementation into routine care. It will encourage everyone connected with trials to be more sceptical of what we do by asking for the evidence behind all of our trial decisions.