Increasing Patient Recruitment Rates for Family Health History Support Tools

MeTree, a family health history tool, has been tested as a clinical implementation tool in primary care settings. The study includes 3 healthcare facilities affiliated with the UNTHSC Department of Family Medicine. The current study investigated patient recruitment strategies to encourage participant use of MeTree prior to a physician well visit. The project had two specific aims: 1) Measure differences in recruitment rates between the initial recruitment letter and a recruitment letter crafted for increased readability and 2) Measure changes in recruitment rates with no follow up phone call compared with a follow up phone call. Data indicate that readability has little effect on recruitment rates. However, follow up phone calls increased recruitment rates. The project showed that the most effective way to increase recruitment rates was to include more personal methods of communication.