# Peer-based Retention of people who Use Drugs in Rural Research (PROUD-R2)

> **NIH NIH U01** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $1,056,107

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The epidemics of opioid prescribing, injection drug use, overdose, and infectious disease transmission
intersect in rural America. Clinical trials methods have not yet caught up with shifting trends in Opioid Use
Disorder (OUD) and its consequences. Research methods to study People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) were
crafted in urban settings, and cannot simply be imported to rural communities which differ demographically,
socioculturally, and in infrastructure. Optimal strategies for recruiting and retaining people with OUD in clinical
research in rural America remain unknown. The proposed Peer-based Retention Of people who Use Drugs in
Rural Research (PROUD-R2) study tests strategies to improve retention of PWUD in research in rural
communities, and fosters facilitation of rural participants into clinical trials. This study leverages the national
Rural Opioids Initiative infrastructure in Oregon and Appalachian Kentucky and Ohio. The Rural Opioids
Initiative is a multi-state consortium studying access to care and prevention of overdose and infectious
consequences of opioid use in rural America. The initiative recruits PWUD in rural settings using harmonized
respondent-driven sampling (RDS) for risk behavior assessments. RDS is a widely used network-based
sampling technique for hard-to-reach populations in which purposively sampled initial participants are given a
limited number of referral coupons to recruit peers, who in turn recruit more peers until the desired sample size
is reached. Peers can successfully reach and engage hard-to-reach populations in treatment, but their
potential to improve integration of special populations in clinical trial implementation and retention has been
largely untapped. Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) sites and the NIDA Clinical Trials Network
are well-positioned to partner with Rural Opioids Initiative investigators to determine optimal practices for
recruiting and retaining rural PWUD in research and transferring clinical research innovations to PWUD in rural
communities. PROUD-R2 uses a rigorous, two-arm, cluster-randomized trial of RDS chains to receive brief
video training and support in peer retention techniques. Intervention arm participants are tasked with and
incentivized for retaining recruited peers at 6- and 12-months (n=685 participants) in addition to standard
retention strategies. Control RDS chains receive standard retention strategies including a harmonized staff
outreach approach (e.g., phone calls, text message reminders) (n=685 participants). We compare study
retention at 6 and 12-months (primary outcome) (Aim 1), assess preferences and willingness to participate in
future clinical trials using a survey including discrete choice experiments (Aim 2), and explore perceptions of
research participation and retention using in-depth qualitative interviews (Aim 3). The project informs methods
to optimize engagement in research for PWUD in rural America and has the potential to transfo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10011950
- **Project number:** 5U01TR002631-03
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Philip Todd Korthuis
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,056,107
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-18 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10011950

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10011950, Peer-based Retention of people who Use Drugs in Rural Research (PROUD-R2) (5U01TR002631-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10011950. Licensed CC0.

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