# Inspiration

Have you ever wanted to take part in innovative research but didn’t know how? Are you a researcher and constantly running into the problem of subjects dropping out? Well then keep listening and we may have found the answer to your problems!

It is true that there are many potential pitfalls in the identification, enlistment and retention of suitable candidates for health related research. One being the vast number of patient recruitment methods, from posters, to emails to online posts, to in-person referrals, which can overwhelm individuals rendering it difficult for candidates to find the study right for them. Weak researcher-participant communication is also a large issue and can result in unclear eligibility criteria and incomprehensible consent forms. Both of these can cause potential candidates to be confused, dissuading them from continuing in potentially impactful research, lowering retention rates.

# Our Solution

This led us to our solution - to create a centralised platform, hosting researchers from all over the globe, to make it easier for researchers & participants to connect as well as increase transparency and clarity in the patient recruitment process. To do this, we created the mobile app Reinder, the insightful research hub. Similar to our antlered friends, this app is wise in its decision-making skills, and uses strong judgement to suggest participants to researchers. Reindeers also symbolize resourcefulness, knowledge, and creativity, which are all attributes that the Rainder team values and are passionate about, especially in the app-building process.

# How it works

Both researchers and individuals, looking to play a role in the next big scientific finding, can create an account on the app, with the former signing up with their OCRID, as a form of verification.

The selection process is based upon the principal investigator’s uploaded eligibility criteria, which the app reads and uses to identify individuals located who match the criteria. The participant and the researcher(or their patient recruitment specialist) can then chat and schedule a video call through either Webex or Zoom to clear up any areas of confusion. Researcher also uploads the consent form to the app, for the participant to sign.

Upholding patient confidentiality is of big importance to ushen participants sign up, they are automatically given a participant ID, and their name doesn’t get shared with the researcher until they’ve been added to a study’s participant list and signed the consent form.

# Challenges

Many of us were beginner programmers, having never done a hackathon before so we experienced challenges with determining how to actually code the application. We experimented with Javascript and React and Node frameworks, but then ultimately we decided for this hackathon challenge, we would create the prototype using Figma. We’re excited to see this turn into a fully functional app, once we’ve developed our coding proficiency! :)

# What's next for Rainder!

As we previously mentioned, we are excited to create the functional version of this app As of right now, Rainder targets researchers and participants within the medical field. However, as times change, so do current trends and interests. In the future. We look forward to adding new features and industries to the app.

We hope you enjoyed our brief demo of Rainder and we hope to take you on our journey to developing it.