Cost-effectiveness of social media advertising as a recruitment tool: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Vlad Tsaltskan · Roel Sanchez Baez · Gary S. Firestein

21 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Clinical and Translational Science

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Social Media in Health Education Ethics in Clinical Research Employer Branding and e-HRM

Abstract

Abstract Background: Recruitment of study participants is challenging and can incur significant costs. Social media advertising is a promising method for recruiting clinical studies and may improve cost efficiency by targeting populations likely to match a study’s qualifications. Prior systematic reviews of social media as a recruitment tool have been favourable, however, there are no meta-analyses of its cost-effectiveness. Methods: Studies evaluating recruitment costs through social media and non-social media methods were identified on MEDLINE and EMBASE. Articles were screened through a two-step process in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Cost data were extracted from selected articles and meta-analyzed using the Mantel-Haenszel method. The primary outcome was the relative cost-effectiveness of social media compared to non-social media recruitment, defined as the odds ratio of recruiting a participant per US dollar spent. The secondary outcome was the cost-effectiveness of social media recruitment compared to other online recruitment methods only. Results: In total, 23 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The odds ratio of recruiting a participant through social media advertising compared to non-social media methods per dollar spent was 1.97 [95% CI 1.24–3.00, P = 0.004]. The odds ratio of recruiting a participant through social media compared to other online methods only was 1.66 [95% CI 1.02–2.72, P = 0.04]. Conclusions: Social media advertising may be more cost-effective than other methods of recruitment, however, the magnitude of cost-effectiveness is highly variable between studies. There are limited data on newer social media platforms and on difficult-to-reach populations such as non-English speakers or older individuals.

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References

2021The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews 2016The Use of Social Media in Recruitment for Medical Research Studies: A Scoping Review 2014Recruitment of mental health survey participants using Internet advertising: content, characteristics and cost effectiveness 2021Social media use and well-being among older adults 2013Internet-Based Recruitment to a Depression Prevention Intervention: Lessons From the Mood Memos Study 2020The Role of Social Media in Enhancing Clinical Trial Recruitment: Scoping Review 2016Facebook as an effective recruitment strategy for mental health research of hard to reach populations 2016Beyond Traditional Newspaper Advertisement: Leveraging Facebook-Targeted Advertisement to Recruit Long-Term Smokers for Research

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