Niek J. de Wit, MD, PhD Otto A. Quartero, MD, PhD Peter A. Zuithoff M. , Msc Mattijs E. Numans, MD, PhD Utrecht, the Netherlands Submitted, revised, July 12, 2001. From the Julius Centre for General Practice and Patient Oriented Research. Reprint requests should be addressed to Niek J. de Wit, MD, PhD, University Medical Centre, Universiteitsweg 100, P.O. Box 80045, 3508 TA Utrecht, the Netherlands. E-mail: n.j.de wit@med.uu.nl.
References
The fact that the majority of our study group were involved in professional education or organization confirms once again15 that active colleagues are the ones most motivated for research. Interest in research, however, obviously does not guarantee successful inclusion. Although a high level of practice organization and a high specialization in clinical activities have also reportedly been associated with optimal recruitment, we could not confirm this with our data.
Conclusions
Collaborators for primary care research projects should primarily be sought among the colleagues who are already active in different professional fields, and who have a strong affiliation with academic research. Successful participation is mainly determined by the initial motivation of the FP: Those who are motivated by the presence of an academic research group in the study recruit best. The research topic, the amount of the financial incentive, research experience, and other factors often suggested to influence patient recruitment are probably less important.
