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Strategies for Successful Clinical Trial Recruitment of People Living with HIV in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Lessons Learned and Implementation Implications from the Nigeria Renal Risk Reduction (R3) Trial

  • Implementation Science (E Geng, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Clinical trials represent a bedrock for measuring efficacy of interventions in biomedical research, but recruitment into clinical trials remains a challenge. Few data have focused on recruitment strategies from the perspective of clinical trial teams, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), where HIV is most prevalent.

Recent Findings

We summarized data from the literature and our experience with recruitment for the Renal Risk Reduction trial, aimed at reducing risk of kidney complications among people living with HIV in Nigeria. Using an implementation science framework, we identified strategies that contributed to successful clinical trial recruitment. For strategies that could not be categorized by this framework, we summarized key features according to selected action, actor, target, context, and time. We identified how these identified strategies could map to subsequent implementation outcomes at the patient and provider/health system level, as well as capacity-building efforts to meet needs identified by LMIC partners, which is a priority for success.

Summary

Our experience highlights the importance of considering implementation outcomes, and the strategies necessary to achieve those outcomes early, in the planning and execution of clinical trials. Clinical trial recruitment can be optimized via methodologies grounded in implementation science.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of all our research staff and participants at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) in Kano, Nigeria. This work is supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U01DK112271. The findings and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the NIDDK, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the government of the USA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH), Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), 2525 West End Ave, Suite, Nashville, TN, 750, USA

    Aima A. Ahonkhai, Usman J. Wudil, Donna J. Ingles, Leslie Pierce, C. William Wester & Muktar H. Aliyu

  2. Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, USA

    Aima A. Ahonkhai & C. William Wester

  3. Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, USA

    Muktar H. Aliyu

  4. Department of Medicine, Bayero University Kano (BUK) and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano, Nigeria

    Faisal S. Dankishiya, Baba M. Musa, Hamza Muhammad, Mahmoud U. Sani, Aisha M. Nalado & Aliyu Abdu

  5. African Center of Excellence in Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP), Bayero University Kano (BUK), Kano, Nigeria

    Baba M. Musa

  6. Department of Chemical Pathology, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano, Nigeria

    Kabiru Abdussalam

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  1. Aima A. Ahonkhai
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Correspondence to Aima A. Ahonkhai.

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Ahonkhai, A.A., Wudil, U.J., Dankishiya, F.S. et al. Strategies for Successful Clinical Trial Recruitment of People Living with HIV in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Lessons Learned and Implementation Implications from the Nigeria Renal Risk Reduction (R3) Trial. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep 18, 289–298 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11904-021-00566-x

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