Can we achieve better trial recruitment by presenting patient information through multimedia? Meta-analysis of 'studies within a trial' (SWATs).

Background: People need high-quality information to make decisions about research participation. Providing information in written format alone is conventional but may not be the most effective and acceptable approach. We developed a structure for the presentation of information using multimedia which included generic and trial-specific content.

Providing multimedia information to children and young people increases recruitment to trials: pre-planned meta-analysis of SWATs.

Background: Randomised controlled trials are often beset by problems with poor recruitment and retention. Information to support decisions on trial participation is usually provided as printed participant information sheets (PIS), which are often long, technical, and unappealing. Multimedia information (MMI), including animations and videos, may be a valuable alternative or complement to a PIS.

Can we achieve better recruitment by providing better information? Meta-analysis of 'studies within a trial' (SWATs) of optimised participant information sheets.

Background: The information given to people considering taking part in a trial needs to be easy to understand if those people are to become, and then remain, trial participants. However, there is a tension between providing comprehensive information and providing information that is comprehensible. User-testing is one method of developing better participant information, and there is evidence that user-tested information is better at informing participants about key issues relating to trials.

Couples' decision-making on post-partum family planning and antenatal counselling in Uganda: A qualitative study.

Background: Although health workers have been trained to provide post-partum family planning (PPFP), uptake remains low in Uganda. An important reason is that women want the agreement of their partner, who is often absent at the time of delivery. In order to address this, we aimed to understand the views of couples and explore barriers and facilitators to implementation of antenatal couples' counselling on PPFP in Uganda.