Vol XIV, Feb `06

As described in November, we encountered numerous barriers during the recruitment phase of this project, including:

• The 2004-5 Florida hurricanes
• Minimal local support
• Decreased interest due to rollout delays

To overcome these recruitment barriers, we stressed flexibility in our study design and implemented "rolling recruitment," whereby homes were quickly trained in small groups.

As we addressed the barriers, we continually reminded ourselves that this is a demonstration project; our lessons learned can inform future nursing home research.

Coalition experiences

As our national partners, your insight has guided this project and provided input into our strategies. At the state and local level, however, we have often wished for more local coalition infrastructure and support to help with recruitment; local coalitions will also play a key role in spreading the CPGs beyond the participating nursing homes.

As a result, we are drafting a manuscript to answer the question, what contributes to a successful coalition? We plan to compare our "readiness matrix," a table we used to select our states, against the literature to identify variables to consider in future projects.

At our next face-to-face meeting with you, we plan to ask for your assistance with drafting our revised "readiness matrix"--a product that you, our partners, can use.