Designing Research With a Veteran Research Engagement Panel: Lessons Learned From Eight Years of Partnering

While community engagement is an evidence-based strategy, less is known about how longstanding community engagement panels are used in practice, and how their input is incorporated by researchers.

To describe the types of consultations requested from a community engagement panel comprised of veterans and veteran caregivers, the research stages at which consultation was sought, and the ways investigators reported using panel feedback.

We conducted a retrospective descriptive content analysis of administrative documents from 52 panel consultations completed between 2017 and 2022 at a VA health systems research center. Data sources included consultation requests, structured meeting notes, and 6 or 12-month follow-up reports, when available. We classified each consultation by research phase and characterized the focus of recommendations.

Most consultations occurred during study development (52%), followed by intervention delivery (23%). Fewer consultations focused primarily on outreach, outcomes, or dissemination. No consultations centered on enrollment/consent or data analysis/interpretation. Panel recommendations most often addressed communication, project focus and goals, tailoring to Veteran preferences, barriers to participation, and study material accessibility. In 12 projects with follow-up reports, investigators described VetREP feedback as relevant, specific, and action-oriented. Investigators reported using panel feedback to revise materials, refine protocols, strengthen grant applications, and inform subsequent projects.

Our longstanding Veteran engagement panel most often informed research during study development and intervention planning. These findings support longstanding panels that consult across multiple studies as a practical consultation mechanism for improving patient-centeredness in research design. Our study also highlights gaps in later-stage patient engagement and the need for more systematic documentation of engagement impacts over time to advance engagement science.