# Using Nudges to Recruit Human Subjects in Clinical & Translational  Research

> **NIH NIH R01** · CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $385,797

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
To obtain grants and successfully conduct biomedical research with human subjects,
researchers must recruit and retain sufficient numbers of participants. Literature on ethical
concerns with coercion and undue influence abounds, but there is little consideration of whether
it is ethical to employ behavioral economics techniques called “nudges” that can encourage
participation, such as screening surveys that predispose participants to consent, structured
choice architecture in consent forms, certain forms of community engagement to generate
group support for participation, and certain positive personal behaviors by recruiters. In addition,
little prior empirical research has examined what recruitment nudges are actually being used in
recruitment into human subjects research and their effects. This project addresses to what
extent recruitment nudges are being used in recruitment into clinical trials, whether they impact
participation, the views of human subjects about their use, and whether their use is ethical in
research studies with varying ratios of risk to human subjects. To address these issues, this
interdisciplinary investigator team of translational scientists, bioethicists, and legal scholars at
Case Western Reserve University and the University of Utah will first identify use of different
types of recruitment nudges in clinical trials with varying ratios of risk (minimal risk vs. more than
minimal risk) and benefit (direct benefit vs. no direct benefit) to human subjects. Aim 1 will
characterize use of recruitment nudges in clinical trials with varying risk/benefit ratios by
conducting interviews and a survey with clinical trials recruiter. Aim 2 will examine the effects of
a set of nudges on recruitment into a minimal risk interview study for healthy adult volunteers
and views of participants on the use of nudges for themselves and others. Aim 3 will utilize the
empirical data generated in Aims 1 and 2 to identify the normative, legal and ethical
considerations for different recruitment techniques used in clinical trials and propose policy and
practice recommendations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10835074
- **Project number:** 5R01TR004245-03
- **Recipient organization:** CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** KIMBERLY A KAPHINGST
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $385,797
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-08-05 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10835074

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10835074, Using Nudges to Recruit Human Subjects in Clinical & Translational  Research (5R01TR004245-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10835074. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*