The Ethics of Patient Recruitment: Navigating the Fine Line Between Enrollment and Coercion

Patient recruitment shouldn’t feel like a sales pitch—here’s how to ethically enroll participants without crossing any lines.

Let’s get uncomfortable for a moment.

Because if you're in clinical research, you’ve likely felt the tension before:

👉 “We need five more participants by Friday.”
👉 “This study could change lives—why wouldn't someone say yes?”
👉 “If we don’t meet our enrollment goals, we risk losing the study.”

And in the pressure to enroll, the line between education and…