Are you struggling with low participation rates or high attrition in your study, but you are not sure what to do about it? Maybe you spent time creating recruitment materials or a procedure to educate children or adolescents about your study, so they might assent, but it is just not cutting it.

Our team created DigiKnowIt News to give researchers like you a tool that was designed to reduce the barriers that may be impacting youth participation in research. DigiKnowIt News is evidence-based and can help you recruit and retain more young people for your clinical trial or research study.

Evidence that shows DigiKnowIt News’ usefulness for your research.

DigiKnowIt News was evaluated in two randomized controlled trials, including one conducted with children and one with adolescents and their parents. Findings from both studies point to the usefulness of DigiKnowIt News for educating young people about research which can, in turn, help researchers combat low participation rates.

Some of the most common barriers to youth participation in research are lack of information, misinformation, mistrust, and fear about research. DigiKnowIt News was found to help alleviate these barriers by increasing child and adolescent knowledge, positive beliefs, and self-efficacy related to clinical trials participation. Below, read some of the important findings from the DigiKnowIt News evaluation studies:

  1. DigiKnowIt Newsmade children more knowledgeable about clinical trials. Youth who used the website had more correct answers on the clinical trials knowledge quiz at posttest compared to youth in the control group.
  2. DigiKnowIt News made children and families feel more positively about clinical trials. Children, adolescents, and parents reported more positive beliefs about clinical trials after using DigiKnowIt News than those that did not.
  3. DigiKnowIt News increased youth self-efficacy for participating in clinical trials. Both children and adolescents felt more confident in their knowledge about clinical trials after using the website.
  4. DigiKnowIt News helped families feel more familiar with clinical trials. Adolescents and their parents who used the website reported more familiarity with clinical trials than those who did not.
  5. Children, adolescents, and parents had high levels of satisfaction with DigiKnowIt News. Most young people who used the website reported that they learned new information, could use information they learned to make a decision about clinical trials participation, enjoyed using the website, and would tell a friend who wanted more information about clinical trials about the website.

A usability study was also conducted on DigiKnowIt News with children to analyze the website’s ease of use by people. DigiKnowIt News received very positive ratings with respect to the website’s content, format, and usability.

By using DigiKnowIt News, you stop playing the guessing game when it comes to addressing low participation in your research and figuring out whether you are using effective tools for recruitment and participant education. By using the website, you can start feeling more confident that the method you are using to educate youth about your research will actually impact youth outcomes that have been found to be related to increased participation. In addition, you can ensure that you are educating young people about your research in ways that are understandable, usable, and relatable to them, so they may feel more comfortable when deciding whether or not to participate in your research.

If you would like more information on research findings from this study, visit https://digiknowit.com/research-findings/ or contact us. Email us at info@irtinc.us, if you would like to discuss how you can use DigiKnowIt News for your study or to try a free demo of the website.