Researchers’ Experiences of the Challenges of Conducting Two Randomised Controlled Trials in Care Homes

The population of older people in care homes has been under-represented in health research, possibly due to the complexity and challenges of conducting research in this setting. This article describes the challenges faced and solutions found by researchers working on the REACH: research in enhancing physical activity in care homes and PATCH: posture and mobility training for care staff versus usual care in care homes, cluster randomised controlled trials (cRCTs). The researchers successfully recruited residents and collected data for both trials but experienced challenges over the course of their involvement with the participating care homes. These challenges included adapting to the care homes setting; identifying gatekeepers and planning visits; building relationships with staff and residents; collecting data from residents, staff and care notes; and buy-in from managers. Having skilled researchers who have knowledge of and are attuned to care home environments was critical to the trials’ success.