Optimized Recruitment to Drive Equitable Research in Stroke, Empowering Decision-making (ORDERed) (ORDERed)

April 30, 2026 updated by: Ada Tang, McMaster University
Stroke is a major health issue, especially for women, who are more likely than men to have worse outcomes and lower quality of life after a stroke. Yet, women are under-represented in stroke research, which limits how well treatments work for them. This study aims to change that by testing a new way to recruit women into stroke research using the ORDER toolkit, a set of easy-to-understand, women-focused materials like brochures and videos co-designed with patients. This new approach will be compared to the usual way of recruiting patients. The study will track how many people join, how long it takes to make a decision, and what influences participation. Patients and research coordinators will also share their feedback on the process. Our goal is to make stroke studies more inclusive so that research findings benefit everyone equally.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Women are under-represented in stroke research, ranging from acute stroke clinical trials, prevention, and rehabilitation studies, limiting the generalizability of research findings and impacting clinical care. Studies have found that women were more likely to be missed by recruiters, and when approached, were more likely to decline participation. Women are also more likely to consider the opinions of their spouse or friends when deciding to participate in studies. Data from the EMPOW-HER study suggest that women have more unanswered questions than men from the consent form and altruism is a greater motivator for research participation among women. This new knowledge led to the development of the ORDER toolkit, a women-centred and aphasia-friendly recruitment and enrollment toolkit that can be broadly applied to stroke studies. This study will investigate its effectiveness in the enrollment process of the StrokeGoRed (ORDERed).

ORDERed will use a pre-post design embedded within StrokeGoRed (Stroke in Women: Growing Opportunities to Realize optimal Evaluation, Diagnosis, and outcomes (StrokeGoRed)) to test the use of a supported, women-centred and aphasia-friendly recruitment and enrollment process.

The objectives of this study are to:

  1. Examine the effectiveness (enrollment rate, efficiency, and attrition) of a women-centred, aphasia-friendly recruitment and enrollment process (ORDERed) compared to traditional processes (TRADITIONAL);
  2. Understand barriers and facilitators associated with enrolling in the host cohort study and stroke studies more broadly; and
  3. Evaluate the feasibility (reach, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) of ORDERed.

ORDERed will use a pre-post design embedded within StrokeGoRed (Stroke in Women: Growing Opportunities to Realize optimal Evaluation, Diagnosis, and outcomes (StrokeGoRed)) to test the use of a supported, women-centred and aphasia-friendly recruitment and enrollment process. The site will begin with the usual enrollment process (TRADITIONAL) for the first part of the recruitment period (study letter and informed consent form), followed by the ORDERed toolkit for the latter half of the recruitment period.

The RE-AIM implementation science framework, consisting of five steps to translate research into action, will be used to evaluate the implementation of ORDERed. Traditional and ORDERed will be compared for Reach and Effectiveness, including enrollment rate (consented participants divided by total approached), efficiency (number of days and interactions between initial contact to decision to participate), and attrition (lost to follow-up divided by total enrolled) using a descriptive analysis stratified by sex. At the time of decision, participants will also be invited to complete a brief 15-minute web-based survey regarding the recruitment process and their decision making regarding participating in the study, including reason(s) for not participating. After the recruitment period, Coordinators will be invited to complete a survey about their perspectives of the Adoption of the ORDER toolkit, Implementation (consistency in using the toolkit, efficiency metrics), and Maintenance (coordinators will be asked whether they would use this for future studies and potential barriers to implementation in future studies).

To assess the effectiveness of the ORDERed intervention compared with traditional recruitment methods, a logistic regression model will be used with a binary outcome indicating successful recruitment. Treatment group (ORDER vs. traditional recruitment) will be the primary independent variable, and prespecified covariates (e.g., age, sex, gender) will be included as adjustment variables. The analysis will be repeated stratified by sex.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

1600

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Alberta
      • Calgary, Alberta, Canada
    • British Columbia
      • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    • Ontario
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4N 3M5

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Participants eligible for StrokeGoRed hospitalized cohort are eligible for ORDERed:

Inclusion Criteria:

  • All patients, regardless of age or baseline disability, seen in urgent TIA/stroke clinics and referred from the emergency department for suspected TIA or minor stroke will be included over one calendar year

Exclusion Criteria:

  • There are no exclusion criteria

Participants eligible for StrokeGoRed hospitalized cohort are eligible for ORDERed:

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Ischemic stroke
  • Intracerebral hemorrhage

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cerebral venous thrombosis
  • Subarachnoid hemorrhage
  • Subdural hemorrhage
  • Intracranial hemorrhage due to trauma or underlying mass
  • Clinical transient ischemic attack without evidence of infarct on neuroimaging
  • Imaging abnormality (e.g., dissection, carotid stenosis, vessel irregularity) without imaging or clinical evidence of stroke
  • Stroke that occurred while being admitted for another reason
  • Stroke that started more than 14 days prior to admission
  • Stroke initially treated outside of Canada
  • Stroke where inpatient stroke or neurology service was not consulted

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Other: Traditional Recruitment Processes (TRADITIONAL)
Traditional participant information letter and consent form only
Other: Traditional recruitment processes (TRADITIONAL)
With the traditional recruitment process (TRADITIONAL), participants are approached by the Site Coordinator for interest in the cohort study and presented with the standard participant information letter and full informed consent form. The information letter and consent form will be left with the potential participant to view again; the Coordinator will encourage them to share these materials with their family members or friends who may assist with decision making. The Coordinator will return to address any further questions and determine the decision whether to enroll in the study.
Experimental: Supported, women-centred and aphasia-friendly recruitment process (ORDERed)
Supplementing traditional recruitment methods (detailed participant information letter and consent form) with women-centred, aphasia-friendly recruitment video and brochure (ORDER)
Other: Supported, women-centred and aphasia-friendly recruitment process (ORDERed)
In the ORDERed phase, the Site Coordinator will approach participants for interest in the cohort study by introducing the study and sharing a brochure and brief, women-centred, close-captioned video that further describes the study procedures. These recruitment materials were co-developed with patient partners with lived experience of stroke. The video and brochure will be available on a mobile tablet, with the brochure also available in hard copy. Materials include images representing diverse ethnocultural backgrounds and gender identities and feature the lead researcher and a patient partner. The Coordinator will watch the video with the potential participant, discuss the study, and answer questions. Participants may keep the tablet and printed materials to review and share with family, friends, or healthcare providers before making a decision about enrollment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Effectiveness - Enrollment rate
Time Frame: From initial contact with study coordinator to decision to participate (up to 30 days)
Consented participants divided by total approached
From initial contact with study coordinator to decision to participate (up to 30 days)
Effectiveness - Efficiency
Time Frame: From initial contact with study coordinator to decision to participate (up to 30 days)
Number of days and interactions between initial contact to decision to participate
From initial contact with study coordinator to decision to participate (up to 30 days)
Barriers and Facilitators
Time Frame: At time of enrollment decision to the StrokeGoRed study (consent or decline)
All participants, whether or not they consent to the cohort study, will be invited to complete a brief 15-minute web-based survey regarding the recruitment process and their decision making regarding study participation, including reason(s) for participating or not participating.
At time of enrollment decision to the StrokeGoRed study (consent or decline)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Feasibility - Reach
Time Frame: At the end of the recruitment period
Coordinators will be invited to complete a survey to examine Reach of the ORDER toolkit (Coordinator demographics and needs), and Adoption, Implementation (consistency in using the toolkit, efficiency metrics), and Maintenance (whether they would use toolkit for future studies and potential barriers to implementation in future studies)
At the end of the recruitment period
Feasibility - Adoption
Time Frame: At the end of the recruitment period
Coordinators will be invited to complete a survey to examine Reach of the ORDER toolkit (Coordinator demographics and needs), and Adoption, Implementation (consistency in using the toolkit, efficiency metrics), and Maintenance (whether they would use toolkit for future studies and potential barriers to implementation in future studies)
At the end of the recruitment period
Feasibility - Implementation
Time Frame: At the end of the recruitment period
Coordinators will be invited to complete a survey to examine Reach of the ORDER toolkit (Coordinator demographics and needs), and Adoption, Implementation (consistency in using the toolkit, efficiency metrics), and Maintenance (whether they would use toolkit for future studies and potential barriers to implementation in future studies)
At the end of the recruitment period
Feasibility - Maintenance
Time Frame: At the end of the recruitment period
Coordinators will be invited to complete a survey to examine Reach of the ORDER toolkit (Coordinator demographics and needs), and Adoption, Implementation (consistency in using the toolkit, efficiency metrics), and Maintenance (whether they would use toolkit for future studies and potential barriers to implementation in future studies)
At the end of the recruitment period

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

McMaster University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

April 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 21, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 30, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 8, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 8, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 30, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ORDERed

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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