This tool estimates the true cost of recruiting participants into clinical trials — including staff, site setup, dropouts, and incentives. It helps planners assess the Return on Investment (ROI) of media investments such as explainer videos and digital outreach.

Results are based on your inputs, with assumptions informed by:

• Screen failure rates: 30–50% — see Walters et al., 2017 (NIHR HTA); 60% of trials fail to achieve recruitment target!
• Dropout rates: 10–20% — commonly assumed in planning
• Site setup costs: £3,000–£7,000 — based on NIHR interactive costing tool
• Staff costs: ~£5,000/month — NHS Band 6–7 averages
• Overhead multiplier: 25% — standard for indirects (e.g., facilities, utilities)
• Cost of delays: Recruitment delays are common — 45% of studies receive an extension of some kind. Sully et al. (2013) Trials.

You can customise any value to match your trial plan. Adjustments for screen failures and dropouts ensure per-participant costs reflect actual resource use.

🎯 Target Participants:
🕐 Recruitment Duration (months):
💸 Staff Cost per Month (£):
👥 Staff Time (FTE):
🧪 Screen Failure Rate (%):
🧍‍♂️ Drop-out Rate (%):
💷 Incentive per Participant (£):
🏥 Number of Sites:
🧾 Site Setup Cost per Site (£):
🏢 Include Facilities/Overhead (25%)?

Calculate Recruitment Costs