CONTENTS

Welcome to TACT! This toolkit is designed to help you develop and implement your own patient recruitment action plan.

Developing a Patient Recruitment Action Plan.....TAB I

How To Get the Word Out...... TAB II

Look to Your Practice

Media Outreach

Media Interview Tips

Paid Advertising, Direct Mail, Internet

Community Partnerships

Reaching Special Populations

Retention TipsMedia Interview Tips

Bios of Key Spokespeople

Description of Clearinghouse Process – For Internal Use Only

Sample Outreach Materials...... TAB III

News Release Template

Study Brochure

Flyer

Print Advertisement


Tab I.

Developing a Patient Recruitment

Action Plan

As you read through the toolkit, use this worksheet to check the items that you think will work best in your area, based on your resources and manpower. You can try as many of the strategies below as you feel comfortable with, but remember, you do not need to do everything! But, you should use more than just one strategy to reach your audience – they probably will not react to just one advertisement, brochure, or letter. Instead, if you reach people with a direct mail piece, an ad in the local community paper, and brochures at their doctor's office, you will be providing several opportunities for people to respond.

Place a check next to activities you will try / Activity / Timeframe / Cost* / Time required** / Insert your target date for completing this activity
Develop Action Plan
Review background information and sample kit and outreach materials / Week 1 / $ /
Set patient recruitment goals / Week 1 / $ /
Set deadline to reach recruitment goals / Week 1 / $ /
Select strategies / Week 1 / $ /
Customize materials and send to IRB / Week 2 / $$ /
Media Outreach
Consult media relations staff/dept. if applicable to determine media and study promotion strategies / Week 1 / $ /
Create media list / Week 2 / $-$$$ /
Write cover or “pitch” letter to send with press release / Week 3 / $ /
Send press release to media list / Week 4 / $ /
Review media interview tips / Week 4 / $ /
Develop talking points for pitch calls / Week 4 / $ /
Place follow-up pitch calls / Week 4 / $ /
Monitor media outlets and gather copies of the stories / Weeks 5 - 12 / $ /
To generate additional coverage:
Send letters to the editor / At your discretion / $ /
Send op-editorials / At your discretion / $ /
Paid Advertising, Direct Mail, Internet
Include study info on your Web site / Week 2
Purchase print and radio ads in local publications and at local radio stations / Weeks 4 - 6 / $$-$$$ /
Conduct direct mailing to public / Weeks 4 - 6 / $$-$$$ /
Conduct direct mailing to physicians / Weeks 4 - 6 / $$-$$$ /
Community Partnerships
Post study flyer in institution waiting rooms / Week 2 / $ /
Use institution’s other communications channels to disseminate study information / Week 2 / $ /
Distribute study brochure via direct mail (secure mailing lists) / Week 6 / $$-$$$ /
Identify and approach potential community partners / Week 7 / $ /
Conduct minority outreach / Week 7 / $ /
Ask community organizations to link to the study Web site / Week 8 / $ /
Submit newsletter article to organizational newsletters / Week 8 / $ /
Explore online promotion opportunities / Week 9 / $-$$ /
Give presentation at local community groups’ meetings / Weeks 8 - 12 / $ /
Attend local health fair and disseminate study information / Weeks 8 - 12 / $ /
Outreach to Colleagues
Send letter to local cardiologists, CAM providers / Week 2 / $$ /
Give presentation at local medical society meeting / Weeks 8 - 12 / $ /
Give presentation at local grand rounds / Weeks 8 - 12 / $ /
Evaluate Success
Evaluate success / Ongoing / $ /
Modify strategies if needed / Ongoing / $ /
Repeat successful strategies / Ongoing

*Cost: $ = low or no-cost; $$ = moderate cost (up to $500); $$$ = high cost (over $500)

**Time: = little time; = some time required; = time-intensive

Tab II.

How To Get the Word Out

  • Look to Your Practice
  • Media Outreach
  • Media Interview Tips
  • Paid Advertising, Direct Mail, Internet
  • Community Partnerships
  • Reaching Special Populations
  • Retention Tips
  • Bios of Key Spokespeople
  • Description of Clearinghouse Process

Chances are you have a pool of eligible patients for TACT right in your practice. Make sure you make them a key focus of your recruitment efforts.

  • Review patient charts to identify potential eligible patients.
  • Make sure everyone in your practice knows about TACT. Remind the other physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and receptionists.
  • Place the flyer on bulletin boards throughout your office and in exam rooms.
  • Place the study brochure on the reception desk.
  • Keep a few study brochures in your lab coat pocket to share with patients as you see them.

Mass media plays a central role in educating and informing the public about health issues. News coverage of clinical trials and other health issues in newspapers and magazines, and on the

Internet and broadcast news programs educate and prompt people to seek additional information.

If your institution does not have a media department, or if your institution encourages you to conduct your own media relations, the following step-by-step tips will help you generate media coverage on the study in your community.

Step 1: Customize the NEWS release

Use the template to customize the news release for your site. Include the local PI and institute information.

Step 2: SenD NEWS release to reporters

  • To begin, you will need a short list of media in your hometown market. You can usually find contact information on each outlet’s Web site. This list should include:

Daily newspapers

Weekly suburban or community newspapers

Local television (usually local network affiliates: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox) and cable stations

Talk radio programs (usually found on AM stations)

  • Include on your media list reporters and editors likely to cover TACT – probably consumer/health/aging reporters. Try to obtain their direct contact information (e.g., phone, fax, e-mail).
  • Send the news release with a one-page cover letter. The cover letter should provide compelling information such as statistics, local angles, and names of experts to interview.
  • In addition to the news release, you may also send other background, including a brochure, a fact sheet on the study, and bios of key spokespeople, including your site’s investigator. These materials will help the reporters develop their stories.

STEP 3: FOLLOW- UP

  • Place follow-up calls. Once the information is sent or given to the reporter, you should call the reporter directly to follow up (place call within 1-2 days).

Before calling a reporter, determine exactly what you want to say and write down talking points on the issues you want to cover (see text box).

Remember that reporters work on deadline and it’s best to reach them late morning or early afternoon.

If called upon for a media interview, please see the following page for interview tips.

STEP 4: GATHER COPIES OF THE STORIES

  • Be sure to monitor the media outlets that you have talked to/sent information to for possible resulting stories and collect copies as they appear.

The following tips will help you prepare for a media interview in print, radio, and television.

  • Be prepared. Before granting an interview, first ask who will be conducting the interview, what the topic is, the length of the interview, what the format is (e.g., for radio, whether it is live or taped) who else is being interviewed, what information they are looking for, and what the reporter’s deadline is. Then, arrange a time to speak.
  • Practice. Role-play likely questions to prepare for the interview, referring to your messages to be sure you’re making key points.
  • Have confidence. At any interview, relax, listen, and think. Take time to form your response before speaking and deliver messages with confidence.
  • Headline your answers. Like it or not, we live in a sound bite culture. You must deliver a key message within the first 15 seconds of your answer, then support your message with examples or proof points.
  • Keep it balanced. Remember, this is a controversial topic. Your job is not to sell chelation therapy. We are conducting this study because the safety and efficacy of chelation therapy has not yet been scientifically proven. As more and more people turn to chelation therapy, we need the public’s help to find the answer to this important public health issue.
  • Keep it simple. Speak clearly and simply, using language that is descriptive. Avoid jargon, acronyms, or too much technical language.
  • Keep it brief. Loose lips sink ships during the interview process. If you have answered the question succinctly, do not continue to over-answer the question. Your message will get lost in too much dialogue.
  • Don’t fear silence. Once you have answered a question, stop talking and do not be afraid of ensuing silence. Let the reporter fill the pause – it’s often a ploy to get you to say more than you planned.
  • Flag key points. Emphasize your key points. Examples include: “What I want to emphasize is…”, “The main point here is…”, “The bottom line is…”, “The important thinking for consumers to know is…”.
  • Never fake an answer. Never lie to a reporter or try to bluff an answer you do not know.
  • Nothing is off the record. Don’t drop your guard just because a reporter is being friendly, or even “playing dumb.” Stick to your messages and stay on record, even after the formal interview ends.

Radio Interviews

  • Radio interviews may be live or taped, edited or unedited, and conducted "in studio" or by phone. Keep the following points in mind for radio interviews.

Refer to note cards if you need to, but be careful not to make noise when you are doing so. Index cards work better than sheets of paper.

For phone interviews, be sure that you have a good, clear phone connection. Don't use your cell phone for a radio interview. If the connection is bad, have the reporter call you back. Close your office door. Turn off heaters, photocopiers, ringing phones, etc., or avoid being near such noisy distractions.

Speak in your normal, conversational tone.

Don’t use your speaker phone.

If you are on a call-in program, keep your comments brief. Give callers plenty of opportunities to ask questions. Incoming calls are usually screened. However, if an irrelevant question is asked, move quickly to shift your focus to a key message point. Always be courteous with callers. The host will handle any callers who step out of line.

Print Interviews

  • When you prepare for an interview with a newspaper or magazine, take note of the following:

Print interviews are typically heavily edited. The only exception is an article that reprints your conversation such as a Q & A word for word.

You might want to ask if you can tape record your interview in case you have any questions about quotes that are used in the printed story.

Don’t be subtle and don’t joke. It may come off in print as sounding a bit arrogant or dishonest.

Television Interviews

  • Some tips for on-air interviews:

Wear clothes that you feel comfortable in.

Stick to solid colors that look good on you. Avoid bright white since it may reflect glare and busy patterns or stripes that tend to "vibrate" on the air. A blue, black, or gray suit with an off-white, yellow, light blue or solid colored shirt is always safe.

When you sit down, be careful that the hem of your pants does not ride up past your socks. Also, unbutton your blazer when sitting.

Avoid flashy ties and clunky jewelry. Dangling jewelry, whether earrings or bracelets, distract from what you are saying.

Wear your own makeup. Most stations usually don’t apply makeup on you unless you are being interviewed in a studio.

Preparation

Arrive at the studio a few minutes early to get a feel for the studio. This will also give you a chance to talk to the interviewer about the points you wish to cover. If there are other guests, try to pre-determine their points of view and areas of expertise.

Take a few deep breaths off camera if you tend to get nervous. Breathe deeply three or four times, holding it for three to five seconds and letting it out slowly. Always remember, you have the answers and are well prepared. This is the best way to combat nervousness.

During the interview

Sit forward in an approachable manner and be mindful of your microphone and chair; avoid swiveling in your seat. If standing, stand naturally with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your hands by your side, loose, and relaxed.

Be prepared for bright lights, heat, microphones, and movement about the set by stagehands.

Maintain good eye contact with your interviewer to establish rapport and to appear in control.

Whether the camera is on or off, be sure to avoid making any comments that you don’t want aired. Do not make stray comments during commercial breaks or after the program.

Letters to the Editor and Editorials

  • Letters to the editor and editorials can be used in response to both positive and negative print media coverage. Look for opportunities to reply to articles about heart disease/medical research to discuss TACT. Following are a few tips to follow when drafting a letter to the editor or an editorial:

Letter to the Editor

Address your letter to the editor of the editorial page. Use his or her name; avoid using “to whom it may concern.”

Clearly state why you take issue, or are pleased about an issue, raised in a published article.

Articulate specific points you want to add to, expound upon, correct, or clarify.

Describe TACT and provide a call to action, such as the toll-free number to find out more about the study.

Limit the letter to one page. Three to five paragraphs or 200 to 300 words is about average. (Check submission policies on each paper's Web sites.)

Fax or e-mail your letter to the newspaper or magazine editors promptly. (The letters are usually printed within 2 weeks from the date the original article ran.)

Provide your full name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address.

If the letter doesn’t make it to print, try another publication that ran a similar article.

Editorials (Op-eds)

Current events revolving around health lend themselves to writing op-ed pieces. At the same time, there is no need to wait for a relevant story to appear to write an op-ed.

These articles are usually 500 to 800 words long and signed by the author. (Check with each paper to find out their specific size limitations because they can range from paper to paper. Usually, newspapers post their policies on their Web sites.)

Send your op-ed to the editorial page editor, along with a brief letter. Request that the editor contact you if the piece is going to be used or if any additional information is needed.

ADVERTISING

  • Recruitment ads ensure that the appropriate message reaches the intended audience in an effective and efficient way. To place ads effectively, consider the following:

What media vehicles will be tapped, given where your potential participants live and your budget?

When will the ads be launched and will the staff be ready to take calls?

Are there any seasonal considerations; should you keep the advertisements running over a period of time?

How will you track your ad's effectiveness and ability to generate calls?

  • Experience dictates that the combination of paid print and broadcast advertising when supported by local news stories about the study will generate the best response in patient recruitment.

Print Ads

The most common type of advertising for clinical trials is the small announcement placed in your newspaper’s health section calling for volunteers.

  • Budget permitting, to obtain the optimum levels of reach and frequency, run the advertisement three times. Gauge the ad's effectiveness in terms of generating calls and consider running the ad again or changing your placement.
  • Local newspapers, suburban and hometown weekly newspapers, union retiree newsletters, publications targeting older Americans, and ethnic publications are all affordable and will enable you to reach your audience.

Radio Ads and Public Service Announcements

  • A public service announcement is a brief announcement read by a radio personality. While securing air-time can be very competitive, stations often devote some air time to non-profit organizations to promote an event or cause.

Check the radio station’s Web site for submission rules.

Call the public service directors at your local radio stations to inform them about TACT.

Fax or e-mail the script and follow up.

  • Radio advertising rates vary widely depending on the station, its listenership, time of day (drive time has high listernership), and the market you are in. Depending on your budget, consider radio ads on stations that older Americans listen to in your area. You may be surprised at its affordability.

Direct Mail

  • Direct mailing can be effective and relatively inexpensive if sent to the right target audiences. You might start building your list by using your medical center, hospital, or clinic's mailing list.
  • A return rate of three to five percent is considered highly successful within the direct mail industry; a two to four percent return is more common.

Internet

  • Online and Internet activities are increasing – especially among older Americans. If your institution has a Web site, there are a number of ways to highlight the study, including the following:

Link to the study site (