Recruitment fell short in a trial involving mild cognitive impairment
Memory clinics and hospitals were the most successful recruitment source, but enrollment remained below the trial's planned samples for falls and balance.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The trial enrolled fewer people than planned despite using multiple recruitment routes. Memory clinics and hospitals were the strongest source, followed by Facebook advertising and radio. These results concern how to enroll people with mild cognitive impairment; they do not show whether the trial's exercise program prevented falls or improved balance.
The authors identified the pandemic as an added recruitment difficulty. Without source-specific enrollment counts or costs, the abstract cannot establish which route was most cost-effective.
What researchers found
Enrollment in the fall-prevention trial
During 36 months of recruitment; planned targets were 396 participants for falls and 212 for balance.
From interest to enrollment
The report followed potential participants from prescreening to full screening and enrollment. This describes the recruitment process for a specific community population, helping distinguish initial interest from eventual participation in the trial.
What the shortfall means
The sample targets reflected the trial's planned falls and balance outcomes. The recruitment shortfall is relevant to study planning, but this report provides no results for those clinical outcomes.
The original publication
Recruiting people living with mild cognitive impairment into a fall prevention trial.
Burton E, Lautenschlager NT, Ellis KA et al.
Trials · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41668186
- Record checked
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