Strategies for Providing Research Information to Participants in Multicentre Adult Critical Care Studies: A Survey of Chief Investigators

The recruitment of participants in adult critical care studies is often challenging. We surveyed chief investigators of UK multicentre adult critical care studies in this cross-sectional survey to evaluate what strategies they used to provide study information to potential participants. Of 61 eligible responses, we received completed surveys from 35 investigators (response rate 57%). Most chief investigators reported using a written participant information sheet (n = 34, 97%), but the uptake of alternative strategies was limited to 9 studies (26%). Only 6 studies (17%) utilized digital methods. Most chief investigators (63%) reported that they planned to adopt alternative strategies in their next study. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This cross-sectional online survey study explores the strategies currently used by chief investigators for providing research information in critical care and explores how likely chief investigators are to adopt alternative strategies.