218 Researcher and Stakeholder Partner Perspectives on Engaged Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: We sought to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted community and stakeholder engagement in research from both researcher and stakeholder partner perspectives and to identify challenges, strategies, and other facilitators affecting their experience, including those related to virtual engagement. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten researchers and eight stakeholder partners who conducted or collaborated on stakeholder-engaged health research during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 onwards). Potential participants were identified purposively and through snowball sampling. Interviews were conducted via Zoom, recorded, and transcribed for analysis. The transcribed data were qualitatively analyzed through an iterative process involving memoing and consensus coding using inductive and deductive codes. We reviewed memos and code reports to identify and describe key categories and themes. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The challenges and facilitators identified varied based on factors such as geographic scope of the partnership (local vs national) and previous engagement type (virtual vs in-person). Many challenges were related to virtual engagement, such as dealing with distractions, limited access to Internet, or difficulty forming relationships online, or to wellbeing and personal circumstances, such as feeling burnt out, managing increased caregiving responsibilities, or concern about risk of illness if conducting in-person activities. Facilitators identified included having strong existing partnerships, utilizing strategies to enhance virtual engagement, adapting activities to manage risk of in-person interactions, and showing support to stakeholder partners. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: By better understanding challenges and facilitators affecting experiences of both researchers and stakeholder partners engaging in research during the COVID-19 pandemic, we can develop strategies and resources to better support research partnerships during future health emergencies.