Recruiting patients with advanced cancer to participate in a non-opioid intervention for chronic pain management

Background:  Chronic pain related to advanced cancer is difficult to treat. In addition to traditional analgesics, non-pharmacological interventions, such as music therapy, may help alleviate pain in this population. Research studies to test the efficacy of these non-pharmacological interventions are necessary and important. However, recruiting patients with advanced cancer to participate in such interventions can be challenging. Identifying effective sources of referrals and barriers to participation may help increase recruitment rates in the future.  Methods:  We recruited patients with advanced cancer (stage III or IV) with chronic pain from two major hospital systems to participate in a pain management interventional study. The experimental group received individualized music therapy, while the control group received talk therapy. Participants attended six weekly sessions at the hospital and were compensated for time and travel. Recruitment methods included referrals from care teams, advertisement through flyers and posters, EMR chart reviews, and in-person recruitment at multiple infusion centers. Missing data was excluded from analyses. Chi-square tests assessed significant differences between groups.  Results:  Of 594 patients that were referred to the study, 7% enrolled (n = 40), 35% declined (n = 208), and 58% were ineligible (n = 346). Forty-seven percent (n = 19) of enrolled participants were female; race/ethnic distributions were the following: African American/Black (55%; n = 22), Caucasian/White (28%; n = 11), or other (17%; n = 7). The most effective recruitment method was through self-referral; of the 40 patients enrolled in the study, 9 (23%) were enrolled through this method. There were no statistically significant differences between referral source and enrollment. The top three reasons patients declined to participate included lack of interest (32%; n = 67), lack of time and/or energy (28%; n = 59), and lack of transportation (16%, n = 34).  Conclusions:  Although there were no differences in referral sources, more patients were enrolled through self-referral or in-person recruitment, showing the power of personal motivation and personal touch. While lack of participation due to interest, time, or energy are hard to overcome, future research should consider campaigns to reach patients who are motivated to participate. In addition to referrals, resources for in-person recruitment and transportation to help alleviate barriers to research participation should be considered.