The MURDOCK Study: Improving Recruitment in the Informed Consent Process of Biobanking

The MURDOCK Study is a large, longitudinal, health study in the city of Kannapolis and Cabarrus County, NC, with the goal of reclassifying major diseases. In order to be successful, the study will require the recruitment of 50,000 participants by 2018. Despite constant recruitment efforts, the study is struggling to meet its enrollment goals, and current recruitment rates suggest the study will not meet its target goal until 2030. A socio-economic historical examination of the city of Kannapolis uncovers certain vulnerabilities among its population that could hinder enrollment in the MURDOCK Study. The Community Understanding of the MURDOCK Study (CUotMS) engaged joiners and decliners in order to understand the opinions and motivations that play a role in deciding whether to join the MURDOCK Study. In performing secondary `directed content analysis' of the de-identifed CUotMS interview data, I found that a sense of duty to the community, compensation rates, the influence of prominent members in Kannapolis, and a limited understanding of biobanking can shape someone's decision to join or not join the MURDOCK Study in Kannapolis. In light of these results, I argue for the use of pre-emptive community engagement, and provide recommendations to improve informed consent and MURDOCK Study recruitment.

Grantor dc:publisher

Wake Forest University

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Maradiaga, Gerardo Ramon

• biobanking

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/37319

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/37319