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Published on: February 16, 2011
Navigating Dynamic Power Relations in Patient Involvement: Researchers' Perspectives From University Research.
Eeva Aromaa1, Päivi Eriksson1, Tero Montonen1
1Business School, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Summary
Researchers navigate complex power dynamics in patient involvement, balancing tokenism with co-creation and institutional constraints with collaboration. Understanding these shifting power relations is key to equitable research partnerships.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Qualitative Research Methods
- Patient and Public Involvement
Background:
- Equitable patient-researcher relationships require addressing power dynamics in research involvement.
- Existing studies acknowledge power challenges but rarely view power as a dynamic, multi-faceted phenomenon.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how researchers manage power relations (power with, power to, power over) in patient involvement.
- To identify and analyze the tensions arising from these power relations.
Main Methods:
- Thematic interviews were conducted with 16 purposively sampled researchers from life, social, and clinical sciences at two Finnish universities.
- Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Main Results:
- Researchers navigated three key tensions: tokenism vs. co-creation, institutional structures vs. everyday complexities, and conflict vs. reflexivity.
- Power dynamics shifted, with instances of gatekeeping (power over) evolving towards co-researchership (power with).
- Institutional factors and funders' recommendations influenced power, sometimes reinforcing hierarchies or enabling procedural control.
Conclusions:
- Researchers simultaneously enact, reproduce, and resist multiple, dynamic power relations in patient involvement.
- A dynamic perspective on power is crucial for understanding researchers' roles in shaping patient involvement.
- This study highlights the complex interplay of power in research collaborations.
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