Posts Tagged 'NIDA'

If I Can Do It…

Published February 16, 2009 Attitudes , Follow-up Strategies , Uncategorized 1 Comment
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You can do it. You’ve heard it a ton, but the phrase works with research follow-up. I didn’t start out confident in finding the unfindable. Let me give you a little context.

I grew up in North Dakota. Now, there’s only about 12 people in North Dakota, and everyone knew everyone else. For instance, I spent my childhood in a town where a typical newspaper article stated something like “Ferguson Grandparents Visit This Weekend.” You think I’m joking. Anyways, you ask a neighbor where Billy is, and lo and behold…

So this naive North Dakota farm boy moves to inner city Denver. Then gets hired by a university to work on a longitudinal study with hardcore drug users. Why’d they hire me? Had to be my character, because I had no research or tracking experience at all, and I didn’t lie in my interview.

Let’s step back. You know how much experience I had with hardcore drug users? The “hardcore” ND life consisted of guys putting back a case of Milwaukee’s Best in one night.

Now I get to follow-up on heroin and crack users. I was terrified. Not for my safety, but for the job and research. So I tried out the “hip to the streets” bit (similar to this scene from “Stir Crazy” [language warning]). My clients ate me up alive. So I dropped the act and let it flow naturally, for better or for worse.

Fast-forward 4 years, when I’m a guest speaker at a NIDA conference, training 300 PhDs and RAs on how to find research subjects who’ve gone missing.

It’s been a crazy, great journey, but here’s the point:

You and your project can achieve an amazing follow-up rate.

If I can do it, you can do it. So let’s get started…

Client Contact Information: Be a Pack Rat!

Published January 26, 2009 Follow-up Strategies , Skip tracing Leave a Comment
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Do not get rid of any client locating information…ever. It may seem strange, but historical addresses and phone numbers are often linked to the current public record files of individuals.

So imagine I couldn’t find any public record  information for a guy who gave the name “Filbert Rasmussen.”  I have very little information on him, but I do have a disconnected phone number for him from 5 years ago. So I search a database by this phone number. The results show an address with one of the historical residents by the name of “Filbert Redding,” with the same date of birth. This is likely our boy. So we  can search for “Filbert Redding” in the databases, a current address and phone number appears.

This type of scenario occurred many times in the work I did with the university. Hang onto every piece of information you can! Some ancient phone number or address could be the key to a current public record.

Note: Even if an old phone number or address does not show up for a client, it doesn’t mean it won’t in the future.  Public record database companies are always gathering new (old) information to expand their product.

As always, hit me up for some comments.

Tracking Clients: Story #2

Published January 7, 2009 Attitudes , Follow-up Strategies , Going by addresses Leave a Comment
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The project I worked on needed a new company car for our outreach/tracking efforts. So one day we came to work to see an old blue cop car. It was the only car the University had available. We work with illicit drug users. Yikes…

So that afternoon we went to look for a client at a spot downtown (which happened to have some “activity” going on). Right when we pulled up in the cop car, a small group of people go crazy,  throwing little packages all over the place and dropping into a dead sprint.

Not the most effective presentation.

Lesson: Anything associated with you can affect your follow-up efforts. Clothes, cars, tone in your voice, behaviors…you name it. Think about it all before you cause a riot.

Locator Forms: The Best Weapon Against Attrition

Published January 6, 2009 Follow-up Strategies 1 Comment
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Clients may not be as dumb as Homer, but they do feel the pressure if you don’t treat their private information with respect. So here are some tips for filling out a locator form with a new research client.

1. Fill it out as late as possible
Unless you’re a jerk. Then do it as early as possible. Seriously, the more time you have to build rapport, the more they will trust you and tell you.

2. Document their daily routine
No matter who you are, you have a routine. Drug addicts, doctors, acrobats…everyone. Asking them to describe a typical day is a good way to get them talking, and it also prevents you from waking them up during their nap time between 2 – 3 pm.

3. Don’t settle for one phone number
Things change. Maybe all you will need is one phone number. But think about the last time you changed your cell phone number. Did you know you were going to change it 6 months prior, or even 3 months? Get as much contact info as you can, including people who can get a message to the client (use those words too).

4. Ask for their Social Security Number last
Send me your SSN to this email. What? I’m a professional!…It’s a moot point. This is sensitive information and you don’t know me. Remember this the next time you ask a client for one. Explain the reasons why you are asking for one, and exactly how you would use it (if needed).

5. Have them fill it out if they prefer
Bottom line: Do whatever makes them the most comfortable when giving their personal information. If they fill it out themselves, thank them for saving you some work. But make sure it is adequate before you send them on their way. And if their handwriting is like mine, God be with you…

Check out this post and try applying the philosophy to the locator form experience. If you have any other tips with locator forms, please comment.

The tracking manual that started it all

Published December 9, 2008 Resources Leave a Comment
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Several years ago I had the opportunity to present at NIDA’a “Recruitment, Retention and Return for Follow-up” conference with Birgit Danila (UCLA), who helped write “Staying in Touch,” the tracking manual that started at all. Her knowledge and experience were a great stepping stone for me. I’d actually seen the manual before I met Birgit. It gives numerous strategies for tracking prevention research participants. Check it out and use it.

With No Attrition, I aim to add to this great resource by discussing the recommended attitudes and procedures behind the strategies discussed in the manual, along with new strategies of my own.  I firmly believe that how you perform a strategy will determine your follow-up success as much as the strategy itself. If you don’t believe me, keep a look out for my next post.

As always, hit me with some comments.

Ben Van Hunnik

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