Does physician continuity within a clinical trial increase retention and compliance among adolescent smokers?

Background: Retention and compliance are hurdles in many clinical trials designed for adolescents. Factors that may improve these issues in a challenging population may lead to increased data and power in much needed adolescent substance abuse research.

Methods: Within a large-scale smoking cessation study for adolescents, physician continuity (PC) was examined to determine its effect on retention, compliance, and cessation.

Results: In an analysis of 98 participants, participants with physician continuity throughout the study were more likely to attend more treatment visits and be medication compliant. It was also found that PC had no effect on participant smoking cessation.

Conclusions: It appears that PC may be one way to increase retention and compliance within an adolescent clinical trial, without interfering with the specific aim of the research study (in this case, smoking cessation).