About
Join us and learn practical participant retention methods that UW research teams use to improve engagement, reduce attrition, and strengthen study outcomes. Through real-world examples, presenters will demonstrate how they build trust, maintain communication, reduce barriers to participation, and keep participants engaged throughout the research process.
We encourage you to attend even if your research focuses on a different population than those represented by the presenters. You will leave with actionable strategies that you can adapt and implement across a wide range of study designs and participant populations.
Watch recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2-mIxh5n7M
From Recruitment to Retention: Engaging Traumatic Injury Populations
Presenter: Hannah Muller
This presentation will discuss recruitment and retention strategies implemented throughout the Screening in Trauma for Opioid Misuse Prevention-Adapted Intervention (STOMP AI) Research Study. Specifically:
- Ensuring participants had a clear understanding of the study at Informed Consent
- Providing tailored handouts at Informed Consent as a “roadmap” through study
- Texting reminders to participants for visits/surveys
- Prompt payment via Advarra
This project recruited participants out of UW Health Hospital and Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee from Aug. 2024-June 2026. Participants were followed for 24 weeks after hospital discharge.
Optimizing Study Retention by Easing Patient Burden
Presenters: Keelin McHugh, Alyssa Turnquist & Meagan Sulikowski
When creating study protocols, teams should prioritize participant-centered strategies rather than what is convenient for the research team. This approach requires deliberative planning to minimize participant burden and to offer appropriate incentives. Wisconsin Research and Education Network leadership will illustrate these approaches with examples of successful retention efforts drawn from both past and ongoing research studies.