Abstract
ObjectiveThe aims of this study were to assess participatory methods for obtaining community views on child health research.BackgroundCommunity participation in research is recognised as an important part of the research process; however, there has been inconsistency in its implementation and application in Australia. The Western Australian Telethon Kids Institute Participation Program employs a range of methods for fostering active involvement of community members in its research. These include public discussion forums, called Community Conversations. While participation levels are good, the attendees represent only a sub-section of the Western Australian population. Therefore, we conducted a telephone survey of randomly selected households to evaluate its effectiveness in eliciting views from a broader cross-section of the community about our research agenda and community participation in research, and whether the participants would be representative of the general population. We also conducted two Conversations, comparing the survey as a recruitment tool and normal methods using the Participation Program.ResultsWhile the telephone survey was a good method for eliciting community views about research, there were marked differences in the profile of study participants compared to the general population (e.g. 78% vs 50% females). With a 26% response rate, the telephone survey was also more expensive than a Community Conversation. The cold calling approach proved an unsuccessful recruitment method, with only two out of a possible 816 telephone respondents attending a Conversation.ConclusionWhile the results showed that both of the methods produced useful input for our research program, we could not conclude that either method gained input that was representative of the entire community. The Conversations were relatively low-cost and provided more in-depth information about one subject, whereas the telephone survey provided information across a greater range of subjects, and allowed more quantitative analysis.
Highlights
Consumer and community participation in research is recognised in Australia as an important and integral part of the research process by research funding bodies such as the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). [1] not all researchers incorporate consumer and community participation into their research, either as a result of not valuing this type of input or because they do not understand the various methods by which community members can participate
We conducted a telephone survey of randomly selected households to evaluate its effectiveness in eliciting views from a broader cross-section of the community about our research agenda and community participation in research, and whether the participants would be representative of the general population
While the telephone survey was a good method for eliciting community views about research, there were marked differences in the profile of study participants compared to the general population (e.g. 78% vs 50% females)
Summary
Consumer and community participation in research is recognised in Australia as an important and integral part of the research process by research funding bodies such as the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). [1] not all researchers incorporate consumer and community participation into their research, either as a result of not valuing this type of input or because they do not understand the various methods by which community members can participate. To date there has been limited research in Australia targeted at the comparative benefits and applicability of different methods for gaining community participation or in understanding more about the types of people willing to participate in research. We defined consumers as people who directly or indirectly make use of a service They may include patients, carers, organisations representing consumers’ interests, or members of the public. The Western Australian Telethon Kids Institute Participation Program employs a range of methods for fostering active involvement of community members in its research. These include public discussion forums, called Community Conversations. We conducted two Conversations, comparing the survey as a recruitment tool and normal methods using the Participation Program
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