Facilitating consumer partnerships in health research

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Patient and Public Involvement in Research

Background:

• Consumer engagement in health research is a growing priority for informed public discourse and research guidance.
• Training can further strengthen the benefits of consumer involvement in research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a workshop designed for health researchers and consumers.
• To provide networking and introductory training on consumer engagement in research.
• To assess the workshop's impact through pre- and post-surveys.

Main Methods:

• A workshop was conducted for health researchers and consumers.
• Experiences from Australia and the United States informed the workshop design.
• Participant surveys were used to evaluate the workshop's effectiveness.

Main Results:

• The workshop increased consumer awareness of their potential contributions across all research stages.
• Researchers reported enhanced confidence and understanding in building consumer partnerships.
• A new tiered model for classifying consumer contributions to research was developed.
• Sustainable funding for ongoing training was identified as a critical priority.

Conclusions:

• The workshop served as a valuable networking and training platform.
• Training, funding, and institutional policies are key enablers for effective consumer-researcher collaboration.
• The workshop complements existing training frameworks for both consumers and researchers.