Meaningful Engagement or Co-Production, or Both?

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Public Health Policy
• Organizational Resilience

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant performance issues and exhaustion within healthcare systems globally.
• Despite challenges, the pandemic also spurred resilience and innovation, offering learning opportunities akin to the Japanese art of kintsugi.
• Engagement and partnership activities in Canada, a field pioneer, faced strain but also demonstrated resilience during the crisis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the factors facilitating engagement and partnership activities in Canadian healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To apply the Engagement-Capable Environments Framework to understand resilience in partnership activities during a crisis.
• To explore co-production as a precondition for improving healthcare during and beyond crises.

Main Methods:

• Utilized case studies from Canada focusing on engagement and partnership activities during the pandemic.
• Applied the Engagement-Capable Environments Framework to analyze the resilience and facilitation factors.
• Examined findings through the lens of co-production to challenge and advance understanding.

Main Results:

• Identified specific factors that facilitated continued engagement and partnership activities despite pandemic-related strains.
• Demonstrated the resilience of certain engagement and partnership models in overcoming crisis-related challenges.
• Case studies exemplified successful adaptation and continuation of collaborative efforts in healthcare.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights the critical role of adaptable engagement and partnership in navigating healthcare crises.
• Findings offer insights into fostering resilient collaborative environments within healthcare systems.
• Emphasizes co-production as a vital perspective for enhancing healthcare during crises and for future improvements.