SMPH Recruitment Core
The SMPH Recruitment Core is a collaboration between the SMPH Office of Informatics and Information Technology, the UW Clinical Trials Institute, and UW Health Information Services. The Recruitment Core’s mission is to utilize data and technology to optimize clinical research recruitment efforts at UW–Madison using the following services:
Research Data Services
Candidate Recruitment Lists
Data about UW Health patients can be provided to study teams via REDCap or, in certain instances, within Health Link (UW Health’s electronic health record) via reports. Commonly requested data include potential participant phone numbers and mailing addresses and information about upcoming clinical appointments or surgical procedures.
MyChart Recruitment Invitations
MyChart is the patient portal for UW Health’s electronic health record. Potential participants can be identified based on eligibility criteria and placed in a report in Health Link for study teams to review for study eligibility. If the study team determines patients are potentially eligible. MyChart recruitment invitations can be sent by study teams from within Health Link.
Health Link Build Services
Real-time Recruitment Alerts
Best Practice Advisories are clinical decision support tools. They can be leveraged within Health Link to alert a study team via In Basket (messages within Health Link) and/or page when patients at UW Health facilities meet gross eligibility criteria. These tools are best suited for studies requiring time-sensitive recruitment (e.g., a patient must be enrolled within 24 hours of meeting criteria).
Other Health Link Build
Other tools can be built within Health Link to assist with clinical research recruitment. Please contact the Recruitment Core for further details.
Please note that at this time Recruitment Core services are generally limited to patients seen at UW Health Wisconsin. This means Health Link tools, including MyChart recruitment invitations, are limited to UW Health Wisconsin locations. Candidate recruitment lists are usually limited to UW Health Wisconsin patients; however, they can be provided for UW Health Northern Illinois and Access Community Health Center patients with approval from those institutions.
All services are contingent upon IRB and, if needed, other operational and regulatory approval. Assistance will be provided to investigators on details about recruitment methods to include in the IRB submissions. A regulatory compliance check is performed prior to service delivery pursuant to UW–Madison and UW Health policies. Tools within Health Link require the use of OnCore, UW Madison’s clinical trials management system, and study team members who have appropriate access to Health Link.
The Recruitment Core can be reached by completing an intake form or via email.
