As part of its mission to streamline and accelerate translational research ConduITS, the Institutes for Translational Sciences at Mount Sinai CTSA and the Office of Research Services (ORS) offer guidance and services for subject recruitment and retention, which can be one challenge in clinical research. Successful subject recruitment involves developing and implementing a recruitment plan early in the trial phase with a focus on utilizing multiple recruitment strategies.
To avoid delays, it is recommended that recruitment or informational materials are submitted to the IRB for review during the initial protocol submission.
The first step is to define and locate your patient population. ISMMS offers a variety of tools via Epic, The Mount Sinai Data Warehouse and the Mount Sinai Imaging Research Warehouse (MS-IRW), Posting Studies to MSHS Clinical Research Pages as well as eternal CTSA supported resources like Research Match and The Trial Innovation Network (TIN).
Epic
Epic is the main electronic health record system (EHR) used at MSHS.
Slicer Dicer is an Epic-based self-service cohort query tool that allows users to have quick views into patient populations.
Clinical Trial Recruitment Alerts (CTAs) in Epic
Requests can be made by accessing the request form on the Mount Sinai Information Technology (intranet) page, and clicking the “Epic Translation Research Committee” link. The completed Epic Recruitment Feasibility Form should be emailed to the IT Help Desk.
Mount Sinai Data Warehouse (MSDW)
The Mount Sinai Data Warehouse (MSDW) collects clinical, operational, and financial data for use in clinical and translational research, as well as quality and improvement initiatives.
The following tools can be used to find your patient population in MSDW:
- Custom Queries – Work with MSDW analysts to compose custom SQL queries for research.
- Cohort Query Tool (CQT) – Web-based self-service tool that can be used to query de-identified or identified data in the MSDW.
- i2b2 – Software application supported by ConduITS, the ISMMS CTSA and the NIH. i2b2 allows investigators to quickly perform self-service queries of de-identified data in the MSDW.
- TriNetX – Intuitive self-service tool that can be used to perform de-identified queries in the MSDW.
- De-identified Data Service – The MSDW team offers de-identified data through CQT, i2b2 and TriNetX, and follow Mount Sinai’s policy on the de-identification of protected health information. Learn More
Mount Sinai Imaging Research Warehouse (MS-IRW)
The Mount Sinai Imaging Research Warehouse (MS-IRW), developed by the BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute (BMEII) provides de-identified imaging data along with corresponding health records for over 1 million Mount Sinai patients. The images form the IRW can be linked to de-identified data from the MSDW or visa versa. Learn More
Research Match is a national web-based recruitment registry that matches researchers with volunteers who wish to participate in clinical research studies. ResearchMatch recently launched a Spanish version of website, allowing researchers to connect with Spanish speaking volunteers. Research Match is available to all researchers at the Mount Sinai Health System. ResearchMatch.Org
Trial Innovation Network (TIN)
The Trial Innovation Network (TIN) provides free recruitment and retention resources:
- Clinical Trial Toolkit
- Recruitment templates, best practices and more.
- COVID Recruitment and Retention Toolkit
- Pediatric Research – Challenges and Strategies for Recruitment
- Informational Webinars
- The RIC Download – A summary of the latest recruitment news, papers and events.
- Recruitment Innovation Center (RIC) Monthly Newsletter – Sign up
Research Match
ResearchMatch is a national web-based recruitment registry that helps match researchers with willing volunteers all over the country who may wish to participate in research studies. This recruitment tool was developed through the collaborative spirit of the Clinical and Translations Science Award (CTSA) Consortium and is available to all researchers at the Mount Sinai Health System.
Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI)
The Office of Research Services (ORS) provides support for these tools and free recruitment and retention consultation services. Consultations can be requested through the ORS Research 411 Portal.
ConduITS is supported by NCATS of the NIH’s CTSA Program. Any use of CTSA-supported resources requires citation of grant number UL1TR001433 awarded to ISMMS in the acknowledgment section of every publication resulting from this support. Adherence to the NIH Public Access Policy is also required.
