Letter

• Mailed recruitment letters: Letters, whether or not they precede a phone call, should be clear regarding why the potential participants are being contacted and how the individual(s) sending the letter have identified the potential participants. Letters sent to patients should be signed by someone who, by virtue of their position, patients would reasonably expect has access to their health information (see Clinical Recruitment Guidelines).
• Recruitment of subjects from a previous study for a follow-up or other related study: Letters should refer to the study in which the individual has already participated and state how the new study is related to it.
• Recruitment of children through their school: Letters should be addressed to parents/guardians; it can be provided in a packet that children take home with them.

Phone

If you plan to recruit or screen potential participants by phone, the IRB requires you to use a script to ensure consistency and completeness in the information that potential participants are given about the study or screening questions. You will need to upload these scripts as part of the IRB application. The IRB generally requires that phone calls to patients are preceded by a letter (see Clinical Recruitment Guidelines).

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For additional guidance on drafting recruitment letters, phone scripts, and eligibility screening scripts, please see Appendix B: Recruitment Elements and Scripts.