Review Article

Successful Strategies to Engage Research Partners for Translating Evidence into Action in Community Health: A Critical Review

Table 1

Data abstraction questions and rationale based on Mercer and colleagues [13] guidelines.
(a)

NumberQuestionMercerRationale

Q1How are the needs of the project’s participants considered?1(b) Is the mix of participants included in the research process sufficient to consider the needs of the project’s intended users?Participants’ needs. Although this question asks more about the composition of the participants, it can be construed to enquire about how the needs of the intended users are considered.

Q2How are the barriers to participation in the research project by the intended users addressed, especially those who might otherwise be under-represented?1(c) Is effort made to address barriers to participation in the research process by intended users who might otherwise be under-represented?Barriers to participation.

Q3How has trust between the researchers and intended users been established?1(d) Has provision been made to build trust between researchers and intended users participating in the research process?Trust.

Q4How have researchers and intended users decided to jointly manage the project?1(e) Do the researchers and intended users participating in the research process have an explicit agreement (verbal or written) regarding management of the project?Project management. Although the question is about an explicit agreement, the main theme is project management. This is a key question for PR process. N.B. This question was modified half way into data collection.
Decision to modify was mitigated by the fact that we had already captured whether written agreements existed or not.

Q5How was (were) the research question(s) collaboratively developed between researchers and intended users?2(a) Was (were) the research question(s) developed through a collaborative process between researchers and intended users?Collaborative development of research question.

Q6How does the research plan to build the capacity of the intended users to address broader determinants of health?2(e) Does the proposed research project plan to build the capacity of intended users to address individual and/or broader determinants of health?Capacity building. N.B. Green uses empowerment, which was originally used.

Q7How does the research process apply the knowledge of intended users in the phases of () conceptualizing/designing, () planning, () implementation, () data collection, and () evaluation?2(b) Has the proposed research project applied the knowledge and experience of intended users in conceptualizing and/or designing the research?
3(a) Does the proposed research project apply the knowledge and experience of intended users in the implementation of the research?
3(e) Does the proposed research project provide intended users with opportunity to participate in planning and/or executing the data collection (whether or not the intended users choose to take that opportunity)?
Involvement in all research phases. Merely combined Mercer’s questions for simplicity.

Q8How does the research project provide for mutual learning between intended users and researchers?2(c) Does the proposed research project provide for the mutual learning among intended users and researchers?Mutual learning.

Q9How does the research process allow for the intended users to learn about research methods?3(b) Does the proposed research project provide intended users participating in the research process with opportunity to learn about research (whether or not the intended users choose to take that opportunity)? Intended users learning about research methods. Reference to “opportunity” is removed because it is irrelevant here as it is not being applied as an evaluation tool

Q10How does the research process allow for the researchers to learn about the user perspective on the issue(s) being studied?3(c) Does the proposed research project provide researchers with opportunity to learn about user perspectives on the issue(s) being studied?Researcher learning about user perspective.

Q11How does the research process allow for mutual decision-making in changing research methods or focus?3(d) Do the researchers and intended users participating in the research process have an explicit agreement (verbal or written) regarding mutual decision-making about potential changes in research methods or focus?Mutual decision-making. Reference to explicit agreement is removed as it is not an important aspect of question, and we had already captured whether there was a written agreement or not.

Q12How are the intended users involved in analysis and interpretation?3(f) Does the proposed research project provide intended users with opportunity to participate in planning and/or executing the analysis (whether or not the intended users choose to take that opportunity)?
3(g) Are plans to involve intended users in interpreting the research findings sufficient to reflect the knowledge of the particular context and circumstances in the interpretation?
Merged questions for simplicity. N.B. It was modified to reflect Mercer’s working half way through data collection.

Q13How does the research process reflect a commitment by researchers and intended users to social, individual or cultural actions consequent to the learning acquired through research?4(a) Does the proposed research project reflect sufficient commitment by researchers and intended users participating in the research process to action (e.g., social, individual, and/or cultural) following the (learning acquired through) research?Action based upon research results. Wording simplified (removed brackets).

Q14How is the process set out for acknowledging and resolving differences between researchers and intended users over interpretation of research results?4(b) Do the researchers and intended users engaged in the research process have an explicit agreement (verbal or written) for acknowledging and resolving in a fair and open way any differences in the interpretation of research results?Conflict resolution. Reference to explicit agreement is removed as it is irrelevant, and we had already captured whether there was a written agreement or not.

Q15How is the process set out regarding the issue of data ownership and sharing?4(c) Do the researchers and intended users engaged in the research process have an explicit agreement (verbal or written) regarding ownership and sharing of the research data?Data ownership and sharing. Reference to explicit agreement is removed as it is irrelevant, and already recording whether written agreement or not.

Q16How do the researchers and intended users jointly disseminate research results?4(e) Do the researchers and intended users engaged in the research process have an explicit agreement (verbal or written) regarding the dissemination (and/or translation or transfer) of research findings?
4(f) Does the proposed research project provide intended users with opportunity to participate in dissemination of project findings to other intended users and researchers (whether or not the intended users choose to take that opportunity)?
Dissemination. Questions combined and simplified.

Q17How is feedback of research results to intended users handled?4(d) Do the researchers and intended users engaged in the research process have an explicit agreement (verbal or written) regarding feedback of research results to intended users?Feedback of research results.

(b)

Excluded questions
NumberQuestionRationale for exclusion

Mercer 1(a)Are the intended users (may include users, beneficiaries, and/or stakeholders) of the research described in a way sufficient to assess their representation in the project?Question pertains to the research proposal itself and not the project.

Mercer 1(b)Is the mix of participants included in the research process sufficient to consider the needs of the project’s intended users?Question examines the composition of the community partners and not the comanagement structures of the researcher-partner interface.

Mercer 2(d)Does the proposed research project consider multiple levels of determinants of health (e.g., individual, familial, organizational, political, and/or economic)?Question examines the nature and content of the research itself and not the comanagement structures that exist between the researchers and intended users.

Mercer 4(g)Is there sufficient provision for assistance to intended users to indicate a high probability of research results being applied?Question concerns the outcomes and uptake of the research and not the process itself.