Research model places volunteers at centre

Kane, Justine
Graves, Barbara
Cook, Tracy
Francis-Wright, Robin
West, Judith

Justine Kane, Barbara Graves, Tracy Cook, Robin Francis-Wright and Judith West are research nurses, Kelly Beer is lead research nurse; all at Cambridge BioResource, National Institute for Health Research.

• This article has been double-blind peer reviewed

5 key points

1 Recruiting and retaining volunteers for research is challenging

2 Research studies should focus as much on the needs of volunteers as those of researchers

3 Having a flexible approach to research can help engagement with hard-to-reach groups

4 Good practice should be shared among researchers

5 The Volunteer-Centric Model can be adapted to fit different fields of research

Nursing Times 112(3):p 1-4, July 13, 2016.

Abstract

Kane J et al (2016) Research model places volunteers at centre. Nursing Times; 112: online issue 3, 1–4. Recruiting participants to research studies can be challenging. The Cambridge BioResource nursing team at the National Institute for Health Research has developed the Volunteer-Centric Model for research, which provides strategies for optimising volunteer recruitment, engagement and retention. Key to the model is ensuring the volunteer's experience remains paramount throughout the research process. This article describes the Volunteer-Centric Model, its key principles and how these facilitate the effective and efficient delivery of research.

In this article…

> Factors preventing volunteer participation in research studies

> Principles of the Volunteer-Centric Model for nursing research

> How to put the volunteer first when conducting research

A research organisation developed a nursing research model to focus on volunteers' needs, promoting participant recruitment and engagement in future studies