Better Research Interactions for Every Family

Better Research Interactions for Every Family

This is a study of the feasibility of implementing a modified recruitment approach, the Better Research Interactions for Every Family (BRIEF) Intervention, within a neonatal clinical trial. This intervention has two distinct aims: 1) improve the experience for parents asked to enroll their infant in a neonatal clinical trial; and 2) decrease disparities in enrollment within a neonatal clinical trial. The investigators will apply the BRIEF within a single site neonatal RCT, the Darbe plus IV Iron (DIVI) study, using a pre/post approach. The intervention will be implemented approximately halfway through recruitment for the DIVI study. The objectives of this study are to assess feasibility, gain preliminary experience to drive further refinement, and provide effect estimates for a future RCT of the BRIEF intervention.

The BRIEF Intervention will test the hypothesis that an evidence-based, researcher-facing educational module will improve the enrollment process for eligible families and increase diversity of populations enrolled in research. These in turn will improve the generalizability of neonatal clinical trials. The BRIEF Intervention is an educational module based on data about how research teams can approach families about research in a more equitable and respectful manner. The intervention will be implemented approximately halfway through DIVI study recruitment. The BRIEF team will measure outcomes, comparing before versus after the BRIEF Intervention is implemented, across three groups of participants:

1. Neonates eligible for participation in the DIVI study, identified through the records of the DIVI team. Research activities for this group are limited to extraction of targeted demographic and clinical data from the medical record by the BRIEF study team.
2. Parents/legally authorized representatives (LARs) of infants approached for the DIVI study who will be invited to take a survey about their experience being approached for the DIVI study, including questions about perceived respect and a validated scale to measure trust in medical researchers. Those who enroll in DIVI as well as those who decline to enroll in DIVI will be eligible to take the survey. The survey will also give them an opportunity to opt in to potentially be contacted for an interview, in which they will be asked open-ended questions about their experience being approached for the DIVI study.
3. DIVI study team members involved in recruitment. At or near the start of the DIVI study, the BRIEF team will obtain a list of contact information for each member of the DIVI team who will be involved in recruitment. The BRIEF team will contact each person individually to review and sign the BRIEF study consent form. The DIVI team will be asked to participate in the BRIEF educational module, which includes asynchronous and synchronous components, complete brief self-assessments of their consent discussions with families both before and after the intervention, and audio-record a subset of DIVI consent discussions so that the BRIEF team can assess fidelity to intervention components.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Neonates (born between 24-0 and 31-6 weeks of gestation) at the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) eligible for inclusion in the Darbe plus IV Iron (DIVI) study; OR
• Parents or legally authorized representatives (LARs) of neonates approached for participation in the DIVI study; OR
• Members of the DIVI research team involved in recruitment.

Exclusion Criteria:

• None