Table 3 Retention planning: developing a robust participant-tracking system
Study information | Examples of data capture |
|---|---|
Participant information | Demographics and study information for mother and child, contact information, assigned field interviewer, status changes (e.g., adoption) |
Participant contacts | Mode (text, phone, email), nature (scheduling, reminder, check-in), content (date, time, contact information), frequency, time since last contact |
Study status | Referral status (e.g., ineligible/declined/pending), study status (e.g., “need-to-reach”/re-engaged/withdrawn/completed) |
Interviews | Type (in-person or telephone, paper or electronic), timing (within deadlines or not), nature (booked, cancelled, completed, partial, missed) |
Honoraria | Gift card tracking and reconciliation |
Field interviewers | Schedule and availability, participant case load, data quality checks |
Communication | Among field interviewers (masked to group allocation) and onsite team |
Progress reports | Monitoring recruitment and retention, generating progress reports |
Randomization | Secure treatment group allocation |
Retention efforts | Tracking engagement and retention materials, consent for future contact |
Retention costs | Staffing hours per retention strategy (e.g., average number, frequency and type of contacts, interview mode) |