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@INPROCEEDINGS{Bosch:283077,
author = {Bosch, Iris and Lenér, Frida and Stankeviciute, Laura and
Singleton, Ellen Hanna and Öhman, Fredrik and Quitz, Kajsa
and Dottori, Maria and Berron, David and Franzmeier, Nicolai
and Kern, Silke and Zetterberg, Henrik and Blennow, Kaj and
Schöll, Michael},
title = {{F}rom zero to 6,000 in 9 months: {R}ecruitment and
innovation strategies for a remote longitudinal
{A}lzheimer's population‐based screening study –
{I}nsights from the {REAL} {AD} study},
journal = {Alzheimer's and dementia},
volume = {21},
number = {Suppl 6},
issn = {1552-5260},
reportid = {DZNE-2025-01484},
pages = {e106340},
year = {2025},
abstract = {The REAL AD study aims to validate the diagnostic and
prognostic performance of combining blood-based biomarkers
and remote cognitive testing as a screening approach for
early Alzheimer's disease (AD), leveraging an existing
healthcare infrastructure in Western Sweden. Here, we
discuss strategies for recruiting a large and representative
cohort, demographics and participant retention during the
first study phase, and evaluate the process of implementing
innovations enabling a fully remote study design.In April
2024, a recruitment campaign was launched in collaboration
with a PR company to recruit at least 3000 participants
between 50-80 years from the general population. Through an
online study platform, participants were enrolled and asked
to answer health and lifestyle questionnaires (Step 1),
guided to remotely administered cognitive testing (Step 2;
using the neotivTrials app or Cognitron battery), and blood
sampling at any of the 105 public regional primary care
units (Step 3; Figure 1). Additionally, optional remote
blood sampling complemented the primary study protocol.At
abstract submission, N = 6092 participants (mean age=63.9
years, $70\%$ female) were enrolled over a nine-month
period, with recruitment ongoing for another month (Table
1). Retention rates for initial study steps were N = 4785
participants at Step 1, N = 3860 at Step 2, and N = 2491 at
Step 3. These rates align with or exceed findings from a
cross-study evaluation of retention in remote digital health
studies (Pratap et al., 2020). Innovations enabling a fully
remote study design were critical in achieving these
recruitment and retention rates. However, attrition
highlights challenges in maintaining engagement in remote
study designs. Key innovations will be evaluated, focusing
on: (1) an online study platform with secure authentication,
(2) remote cognitive testing, (3) blood sampling via local
healthcare providers, and (4) remote sample collection, all
achieved through collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
Structured feedback reports from participants will
complement evaluations.REAL AD demonstrates the feasibility
of implementing a large-scale, fully remote screening
approach for early AD. Preliminary results highlight the
effectiveness of key innovations and stakeholder
collaboration, though attrition underlines the need to
address engagement barriers. Future improvements and
recommendations for other remote population-based screening
initiatives will be discussed.},
month = {Jul},
date = {2025-07-27},
organization = {Alzheimer’s Association
International Conference, Toronto
(Canada), 27 Jul 2025 - 31 Jul 2025},
keywords = {Humans / Female / Male / Aged / Middle Aged / Alzheimer
Disease: diagnosis / Alzheimer Disease: blood / Public
Health / Aged, 80 and over / Biomarkers: blood / Sweden /
Neuropsychological Tests / Surveys and Questionnaires /
Telemedicine / Patient Selection / Biomarkers (NLM
Chemicals)},
cin = {AG Berron},
ddc = {610},
cid = {I:(DE-2719)5000070},
pnm = {353 - Clinical and Health Care Research (POF4-353)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-353},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)1 / PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
pubmed = {pmid:41435182},
pmc = {pmc:PMC12726296},
doi = {10.1002/alz70860_106340},
url = {https://pub.dzne.de/record/283077},
}