Using social media as a recruitment tool guide: A beginner's guide to posts, ads & influencers

Abstract

Social media has become a powerful tool in the 21 st century, allowing researchers to access a wide pool of potential participants at the click of a button. With 45 million social media users (67% of the population) in the UK according to Battisby (2019), advertising a clinical trial online (through posting on a page or paid advertisements) can be a very cost-effective method compared to other recruitment processes such as PICs and is also completely within your control. The only disadvantage is that it could be seen as the ethical grey area as it stands with the lack of guidelines surrounding social media use in trials; however, I believe that as more trials explore this option and seek ethical approval, the lines will become clearer. It is also relatively simple to stay on the right side of an ethical dilemma by setting out exactly what you choose to do in your protocol, respecting normal GDPR rules and using common sense as well as a professional outlook.

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ORCID for Jess Boxall: orcid.org/0009-0009-1912-0380

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