BACKGROUND Hospitals are common recruitment sites for injury and disability studies. However, the clinical and rehabilitation environment can create unique challenges for researchers to recruit participant populations. While there is growing injury and disability focused research involving Indigenous people to understand the types of services and supports required by this population to enhance their recovery experiences, there is limited knowledge of researchers' experiences implementing recruitment processes in the tertiary hospital environment. This paper reflects on the specific challenges of recruiting Indigenous patients following a traumatic brain injury from two tertiary hospitals in Northern Australia. METHODS Between July 2016 and April 2018, research staff recruited eligible patients from one hospital in Queensland and one hospital in the Northern Territory. Qualitative records summarising research staff contact with patients, family members and clinical hospital staff were documented. These qualitative records, in addition to field trip notes and researcher reflections were reviewed to summarise the main challenges in gaining access to patients who fit the eligibility criteria. RESULTS During the recruitment process, there were five main challenges encountered: (1) Patients discharging against medical advice from hospital; (2) Discharge prior to formal emergence from Post Traumatic Amnesia as per the Westmead Post Trauma Amnesia Scale; (3) Patients under adult guardianship orders; (4) Narrow participant eligibility criteria and (5) Coordinating around patient commitments and treatment. Details of how the recruitment processes were modified throughout the recruitment phase of the study to ensure greater access to patients that met the criteria are described. CONCLUSION Based on our recruitment experiences, several recommendations are proposed for future TBI studies with Indigenous Australians. In addition to treatment, Indigenous TBI patients have wide range of needs that must be addressed while in hospital. Patient engagement and data collection processes should be flexible to respond to patient needs and the hospital environment. Employment of a centralized recruiter at each hospital site may help to minimise the challenges researchers need to navigate in the hospital environment. To improve recruitment processes in hospitals, it is essential for researchers examining other health or injury outcomes to describe their recruitment experiences.

中文翻译：

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土著创伤性脑损伤研究：应对医院环境中的招聘挑战。

背景技术医院是伤害和残疾研究的常见招聘场所。但是，临床和康复环境可能给研究人员招募参与者群体带来独特的挑战。尽管越来越多的针对伤害和残疾的研究涉及土著人民，以了解该人群增强康复经验所需的服务和支持的类型，但对于研究人员在三级医院环境中实施招募过程的经验知之甚少。本文反映了北澳大利亚两家三级医院因脑外伤而招募土著患者的具体挑战。方法从2016年7月到2018年4月，研究人员从昆士兰州的一所医院和北领地的一所医院招募了合格的患者。定性记录总结研究人员与患者，家庭成员和临床医院工作人员的联系。除了实地考察记录和研究人员的思考外，还对这些定性记录进行了总结，以总结获得符合资格标准的患者所面临的主要挑战。结果在招募过程中，遇到了五个主要挑战：（1）病人出院接受医疗建议；（2）根据Westmead创伤后遗忘量表从创伤后遗忘正式出现之前的出院；（3）有成人监护令的患者；（4）狭窄的参与者资格标准，以及（5）围绕患者的承诺和治疗进行协调。描述了如何在研究的整个募集阶段修改募集过程的详细信息，以确保满足标准的患者有更大的机会。结论根据我们的招聘经验，提出了一些建议，用于将来与土著澳大利亚人进行的TBI研究。除治疗外，土著TBI患者在住院期间还具有广泛的需求。患者参与和数据收集过程应灵活应对患者需求和医院环境。在每个医院地点雇用集中的招聘人员可能有助于最大程度地减少研究人员在医院环境中导航所面临的挑战。