An Evaluation of Recruitment Strategies Targeting High Risk MSM for HIV Vaccine Trials Enrollment

Rationale: Recruitment efforts for clinical trials have always required creative yet culturally appropriate techniques to effectively target specific populations. A process evaluation of the recruitment of high risk MSM into a Phase IIb HIV vaccine trial was done at the Seattle HIV Vaccine Trials Unit (S-HVTU). Methods: All individuals that contact the S-HVTU are pre-screened over the telephone and then screened in person by a clinician to ensure eligibility. All contacts who seek information and who may enroll are documented and recorded into an on-site database. Potential volunteers are asked, “How did you hear about the S-HVTU?” to document recruitment efficacy. Recruitment efforts successfully recruited 117 high risk MSM over 22 months who enrolled in the Phase IIb trial. Of the 117 who enrolled, 35 (30%) were recruited from print ads, 30 (26%) from outreach workers at local MSM bars, bathhouses and bookstores, 26 (22%) from internet banners, chats, and classified ads, 14 (12%) by friend or community-based organization referral, and 12 (10%) from stories in local newspapers, radio interviews, flyers, and presentations. Lessons Learned: High risk MSM who enrolled in this Phase IIb vaccine study were recruited via a number of different recruitment methods. Effective social marketing targeting high risk MSM needs to be MSM culturally appropriate and multi faceted. Budgetary constraints in future studies may create a need to more closely examine the cost-effectiveness of different strategies.