Community-based organisations (CBOs) are important for eliminating health
disparities globally and translating research findings to inform interventions.
Engagement is an integral part of partnerships between CBOs and community health
researchers and impacts the quality and quantity of any desired outcome. Despite
the acknowledged benefits of community-based organisation engagement (CBOE),
there are variations in its operationalisation and paucity in the understanding
of its use in community-scientific partnerships. To further understand CBOE, the
aim of this study was to synthesise published literature relevant to the
definitions and applications of CBOE and identify its key components. A
systematic search was conducted in March 2017, and updated in June 2017.
Keywords were varied to account for international differences in spelling and
word usage. Five major databases, MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Google
Scholar, were used to identify potential research studies. A total of 32 studies
were included in this review. Following the analysis of the literature, four
salient themes emerged as components of CBOE: (1) Need (a consensus between all
the parties in a partnership on the importance of a specified project and its
proposed benefits to a target community); (2) Partnership Dynamics (the workings
of a relationship between a CBO and a scientific/academic stakeholder); (3)
Resources (include but are not limited to: personnel, money, work space,
expertise and equipment); and (4) Outcomes (products of the partnership). This
review provides a foundation for future research in applying CBOE to
translational research and interventions. This analysis will assist community
health researchers in planning partnerships with CBOs, and make necessary
adjustments to improve study outcomes. Appropriate application of the components
of CBOE in partnerships will assist researchers in addressing health
disparities.