The P.A.T.I.E.N.C.E. Model: An Approach to Recruiting African American Fathers and Sons for Behavioral Research Studies

Abstract

Interest in enrolling minority participants into clinical and behav­ioral studies has grown due in part to the National Institutes of Health requirement that minorities and women be considered for all stud­ies sponsored by NIH. Although the number of minorities and women in clinical trials has increased in recent years, many researchers report challenges to enrolling them in behavioral research studies. The purpose of this article is to describe the P.A.T.l.E.N.C.E. model, a recruitment approach for improving African-American participa­tion in research.   The P.A.T.l.E.N.C.E. model is a multifaceted  approach to recruitment and derives its name from the acronyms of its components: Passive recruitment, Active recruitment, Training of research staff, Involving the community, Education of research par­ticipants, Nurturing participants, Commitment of staff, and Evalua­tion of the recruitment procedures. The evaluation of the P.A.T.I.E.N.C.E. model indicates that with careful planning and ad­equate staff, the model can be successfully used for the recruitment of African Americans for behavioral research studies.