Strategies to retain rural breast cancer survivors in longitudinal research

Aims: To describe the retention of rural women in the Rural Breast Cancer Survivors (RBCS) Intervention. Background: Few studies describe strategies and procedures for retention of participants enrolled in cancer research. Fewer studies focus on underserved rural cancer survivors. Methods: A descriptive design was used. A conceptual model of retention based on three factors: researcher, participant, and context with primary, secondary, and tertiary strategies was used to unify the data. Results: 432 women enrolled in the RBCS study, of which 332 (77%) were retained and completed the 12 month study. Favorable retention strategies included: run-in period, persistent attempts to re-contact hard to reach, recruitment and enrollment tracking database, and a trusting and supportive relationship with the research nurse. Conclusion: A conceptual model of retention with differential strategies can maintain participant retention in a longitudinal research study. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.