Enhancing community engagement in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research: Equipping learners to thrive in translational efforts

Abstract

Community engagement is a critical component of translational research. Innovative educational approaches to support meaningful involvement of stakeholders in clinical research allows for bidirectional learning and greater engagement in translational efforts. Our Penn State Community-Engaged Research Core (CeRC) team has developed an innovative research curriculum for a variety of stakeholders, including patient partners, organizational representatives, and Community Health Workers (CHWs). This brief report will outline unique curricular approaches, guided by adult learning principles, to enhance stakeholder education and engagement in activities. Initial evidence of impact on learning is also reported.

Intensive behavioral Therapy for weight loss in patients with, or At-Risk of, type 2 Diabetes: Results from the PaTH to health diabetes study

“…Our study included a comprehensive plan to engage patient partners and other stakeholders (e.g. clinicians, policymakers, community organization leaders) in all aspects of the research ( Poger et al, 2020 , Poger et al, 2020 , Poger et al, 2021 ). The study protocol has been previously described ( Kraschnewski et al, 2019 ) and was reviewed and approved by the centralized Institutional Review Board at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.…”

Adaptive capacity and preparedness of Clinical and Translational Science Award Program hubs: Overview of an environmental scan

“…University researchers and community partners collaborated to develop evidence-based, inclusive, accessible, and culturally appropriate resources helping community members stay healthy, informed, and connected during the pandemic [28][29][30]. CTSA hubs utilized novel and enhanced remote-engagement and nonface-to-face strategies and leveraged video-conferencing and asynchronous communication technology to ensure timely communication between investigators, community partners, and study participants [31].…”

Engaging community in the translational process: Environmental scan of adaptive capacity and preparedness of Clinical and Translational Science Award Program hubs

“…The Penn State CTSI's Community-Engaged Research Core team developed an innovative research curriculum that allowed bidirectional learning and greater engagement in translational efforts for a variety of community stakeholders, such as patient partners, organizational representatives, and Community Health Workers [38]. Their approach introduced: motivational interviewing to overcome barriers to change during COVID-19 (asking openended questions, providing affirmations, demonstrating reflective listening, and effectively summarizing community concerns); myth-busting while respecting one's beliefs: best practices to debunk misconceptions circulating in the community; and creative community engagement strategies to overcome face-to-face barriers caused by the pandemic (e.g., using telecommunication platforms, gamification, graphic medicine, social media).…”

“…Marsh et al [39] point out that many components of community engagement and community-engaged research can be done virtually by using remote engagement and non-face-to-face strategies and leveraging rapidly improving technology (e.g., video-conferencing and asynchronous communication) to ensure just-in-time communication between investigators, community partners, and study participants. The use of the Zoom platform for training (including interactive breakouts, chat, annotation, whiteboard, vignettes, and case studies) contributed to increased participation, bolstered discussion, and strengthened knowledge transfer [38]. Nonetheless, virtual engagement is not a permanent replacement for "live", face-toface communication; personal interactions are fundamental to impactful community engagement and missed by community and academic collaborators.…”