Abstract
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the criterion standard in research
design for establishing treatment efficacy. However, the rigorous and highly controlled
conditions of RCTs can be difficult to attain when conducting research among individuals
living with a confluence of disability, low socioeconomic status, and being a member
of a racial/ethnic minority group, who may be more likely to have unstable life circumstances.
Research on effective interventions for these groups is urgently needed, because evidence
regarding approaches to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes is lacking.
In this methodologic article, we discuss the challenges and lessons learned in implementing
the Lifestyle Redesign for Pressure Ulcer Prevention in Spinal Cord Injury study among
a highly disadvantaged population. These issues are discussed in terms of strategies
to enhance recruitment, retention, and intervention relevance to the target population.
Recommendations for researchers seeking to conduct RCTs among socioeconomically disadvantaged,
ethnically diverse populations are provided.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
LR-PUP (Lifestyle Redesign for Pressure Ulcer Prevention in Spinal Cord Injury), PUPP (Pressure Ulcer Prevention Project), RCT (randomized controlled trial), SCI (spinal cord injury), SES (socioeconomic status)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 26, 2012
Footnotes
Supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development/National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (grant no. R01 HD056267); and a KL2 Mentoring Research Career Development Award through Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine; National Institutes of Health/National Center for Research Resources/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (grant no. KL2RR031991).
The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development or the National Insitutes of Health.
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
