A Novel Process to Recruit and Select Community Partners for a Hybrid Implementation-Effectiveness Study

Area of Science:

• Community-based participatory research
• Implementation science
• Health equity

Background:

• Effective partnerships with community organizations are crucial for implementing evidence-based interventions.
• Current partner selection often prioritizes convenience over capacity or diversity, hindering research.
• There's a need for streamlined processes to identify qualified, diverse, and engaged community research partners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the literature gap on efficient partner recruitment processes.
• To describe a novel Request for Partners (RFP) approach for identifying diverse community organizations.
• To facilitate participation in community-based research.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a Request for Partners (RFP) process for a hybrid implementation-effectiveness study.
• Included formative work, an advisory committee, intent-to-apply, full application, and in-person training/selection.
• Collected data on applicant characteristics and used pre-post surveys to assess training utility.

Main Results:

• Received 59 intent-to-apply submissions, with 17 organizations submitting full applications.
• Recruited 9 organizations and 32 community sites across 5 states in approximately 8 months.
• Increased understanding of the intervention and partner responsibilities among participating organizations.

Conclusions:

• The RFP process is a viable method for recruiting community partners, even those without prior research experience.
• This approach streamlined recruitment, enhanced diversity, and fostered a sense of community among partners.
• Potential benefits include improved research transparency, study completion rates, and intervention fidelity.