At times of increasing pressure on emergency departments, and the need for research into different models of service delivery, little is known about how to recruit patients for qualitative research in emergency departments. We report from one study which aimed to collect evidence on patients’ experiences of attending emergency departments with different models of using general practitioners, but faced challenges in recruiting patients. This paper aims to identify and reflect on the challenges faced at all stages of patient recruitment, from identifying and inviting eligible patients, consenting them for participation and finally to engaging them in interviews, and make recommendations based on our learning.
University of Lincoln, College of Social Science Research
Delyth Price, Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Division of Population Medicine
Michelle Edwards, Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Division of Population Medicine
Andrew Carson-Stevens, Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Division of Population Medicine
Alison Cooper, Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Division of Population Medicine
Freya Davies, Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Division of Population Medicine
Tim Rainer, Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Division of Population Medicine
Adrian Edwards, Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Division of Population Medicine