Recruiting for COVID-19 Related Studies
We have little doubt that we will see more COVID-19 related qualitative market research projects for the remainder of 2020. We anticipate that many businesses will be looking to see how the outbreak is affecting and shifting business objectives. Additionally, there will be demand for COVID-19 related medical studies. It may be challenging for market research recruiting firms to recruit participants with physical distancing measures in place, but there are many methodologies that researchers can use to ensure participant safety. From in-depth interviews to online focus groups, there are many ways that studies can be conducted while maintaining physical distancing.
COVID-19 has disrupted lives and patterns, and healthcare professionals and medical scientists are scrambling to create a vaccine and learn more about how remedies that might offer protection from this virus, and future ones. The science of understanding this virus can’t proceed without conducting medical research studies. Recruiting for such studies should be conducted only by nationwide recruitment agencies, as there are stringent privacy protocols that must be followed.
Many participant recruitment agencies have areas of expertise when it comes to recruitment. Before hiring a recruiting firm for your next medical research study, consider the following three categories:
- Experience with medical studies recruitment – Before partnering with a recruitment firm, find out what other health or medical studies they’ve recruited for. Ask if their recruiters are trained with the additional privacy protocols that are often associated with medical study recruitment. Recruiting for medical or healthcare studies is usually more challenging, and you’ll want a recruiting partner that has experience and knowledge of medical studies.
- Healthcare/medical nomenclature– Does your recruiter know the how a Nurse and Nurse Practitioner differ? What about the difference between in-patient and out-patient? Healthcare and medical studies often involve nuance between the many different categories. The differences between categories can be tricky when it comes to recruiting. Make sure your recruiting partner has the expertise and experience to know the differences.
- Regulations/privacy matters– Recruiting for medical and healthcare studies can be challenging as there are additional government regulations and privacy protocols that must be adhered to. Recruiting for such studies can be complex in order to get qualified respondents.
If you are designing a market research study that is looking at the impacts of COVID-19 on your organization, or a medical or healthcare study, it’s important to team up with an experienced recruiting firm that can quickly target qualified participants.
