Engaging Community Health Care Providers in Genomic Research

Purpose for the program: This presentation/poster will describe the process of working in partnership with the hospital, physicians and their staff to recruit participants for perinatal and neonatal whole genome research.  We will share the challenges in placing the right clinical research staff in the office or unit, staff preparation and education, and the tools necessary to support our study.

Proposed change: We made specific efforts to recruit subjects of diverse race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. To do this we hired a multicultural staff of clinical research coordinators and associates to recruit subjects.  We provide enrollment materials in English and Spanish as well as at average and low reading levels.  We placed an emphasis on creating partnerships with hospital and community health care providers to be able to approach their patients for our studies. 

Implementation, outcomes and evaluation: Our Translational Medicine Institute has enrolled over 1200 family trios from over 70 countries in three whole genome research studies.  Recruitment for the preterm birth study required our team to join forces with multicultural health care providers from neonatology, obstetrics, perinatology and a richly diverse nursing staff.   Enrollment for the longitudinal study occurs during the pregnancy which requires our staff to approach patients in the prenatal care setting.  We are currently recruiting from several large obstetric practices, including a safety-net community clinic. 

Implications for nursing practice: Knowing the community, the health care providers, and the staff of the offices and hospital will enhance the ability of nurse-researchers to recruit participants in their studies.

Keywords: research, perinatal, diversity, engagement