Study Intro Letter

Form Approved

OMB No. 0920-0010

Exp. Date: 05/30/2022

BD-STEPS– Protocol #2087

Introductory Letter (English), 4/30/2019

<<date>> 

«motherfirstname» «motherlastname»

«Address1»

«Address2»

«City», «State» «Zip»

Dear Ms. «motherlastname»:

We invite you to participate in the Birth Defects Study To Evaluate Pregnancy exposureS (BD‐STEPS). In <state>, this study is being conducted by <<state grantee and the State Birth Defects Monitoring Program> or <State grantee Birth Defects Monitoring Program>>. It is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study will help us understand why one out of every 33 babies is born with a birth defect. We plan to speak with women who had pregnancies affected by birth defects as well as women whose pregnancies were not affected by birth defects.

State laws give the <State Birth Defects Monitoring Program> permission to review medical records to study causes of birth defects. This is how we identified most women for the study. Women whose pregnancies were not affected by birth defects were selected from women who gave birth in the same year.

Our interviewers will call you soon to ask you to do a telephone interview that takes about 55 minutes. The interview can be done in one call or in several shorter calls at a time that is convenient for you. We are available for interviews every day of the week, including weekends and evenings. The interview asks about your health, medication use, and lifestyle during your recent pregnancy and the month before your pregnancy. We will keep any identifying information that you provide during your interview confidential.

Our interviewers will call you within the next two weeks. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the interviewers at our toll free number, 1-888-743-7324, or email them at questions@bdsteps.org. You can also call <Abt local number> or scan the QR code below, to reach the interviewers to schedule or complete your interview at a good time for you. Please make sure to leave a message with your best phone contact information. You may also call me at < insert local contact number>. If you do not want to participate, please let us know.

<<Note: We are not able to include the $20 gift card that was sent with the previous introductory packet(s). If you complete the interview, we will send you an additional $30 gift card to thank you for your time.>>

OR

<<We’ve enclosed a $20 gift card as a token of appreciation for your time and interest. This is yours to keep whether or not you do the interview. After you complete the interview, we will send you an additional $30 gift card to thank you for your time.>>

Thousands of women across the country are taking part in this important research. This study will help us better understand the causes of birth defects and other pregnancy problems. We hope that you will be a part of this effort. Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely,

< Insert PI name and local contact information >

Enclosures

QR Code helpful tip: With your phone’s camera, simply hover over the QR code image in this letter, as if you were going to take a photo, and a link to the local phone number will appear. You can also use any other QR code reader app that you may already have.