Effect of promoting current local research activities on large monitors on the population’s interest in health-related research: a randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were threefold: to estimate people’s interest in health-related research, to understand to what extent people appreciate being actively informed about current local health-related research and to investigate whether their interest can be influenced by advertising local current health-related research using large TV monitors. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial using a stepped wedge design. SETTING: The emergency department waiting room at two public hospitals in northern Queensland, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Waiting patients and their accompanying friends and relatives in the emergency department waiting room not requiring immediate medical attention. INTERVENTIONS: A TV monitor advertising local current health-related research. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: OR for the effect of intervention on changing the interest in health-related research compared with a control group while adjusting for gender, age and socioeconomic standard. RESULTS: The intervention significantly increased the short-term interest in health-related research with an OR of 1.3 (1.1–1.7, p=0.0063). We also noted that being female and being older was correlated to a higher interest in health-related research CONCLUSIONS: This study found that proactive information significantly increased the general populations’ interest in health-related research. There are reasonable set up costs involved but the costs for maintaining the system were very low. Hence, it seems reasonable that research-active organisations should give much higher priority to this type of activity. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12617001085369