Mail and Telephone Outreach from Electronic Health Records for Research Participation on Cognitive Health and Aging

Objectives This report describes the efficacy and utility of recruiting older individuals by mail to participate in research on cognitive health and aging using Electronic Health Records (EHR). Methods Individuals age 65 or older identified by EHR in the Mount Sinai Health System as likely to have Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) were sent a general recruitment letter (N=12,951). A comparison group of individuals with comparable age and matched for gender also received the letter (N=3,001). Results Of the 15,952 individuals who received the mailing, 953 (6.0%) responded. 215 (1.3%) declined further contact. Overall rate of expression of interest was 4.6%. Of the 738 individuals who responded positively to further contact, 321 indicated preference for further contact by telephone. Follow-up of these individuals yielded 30 enrollments (0.2% of 15,952). No differences in response rate were noted between MCI and comparison groups, but the comparison group yielded higher enrollment. 6 individuals who were not the intended recipients of mailing but nevertheless contacted our study were also enrolled. Conclusions Mailings to individuals identified through a trusted source, such as a medical center from which they have received clinical care, may be a viable means of reaching individuals within this age group as this effort yielded a low rejection rate. However, EHR information did not enhance study enrollment. Implications for improving recruitment are discussed.

Automated summary

Recruiting older individuals for research on cognitive health and aging via mail was moderately successful, with a response rate of 6.0% and an enrollment rate of 0.2% out of 15,952 recipients. Although utilizing EHR did not improve study enrollment, the comparison group yielded higher enrollment rates.