How do we get the public into public health research? Learnings and key recommendations from initiating a community involvement project scheme

Introduction

There are many recognised benefits of public involvement, including more relevant research. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the existing health inequalities and disparities in access to care and treatment for under-served groups, necessitating meaningful and sustainable approaches to engaging them in health research. However, there is limited guidance to suggest what groundwork and processes are necessary for initiating such projects. This paper outlines the practical approaches taken to initiate a community involvement project scheme and offers key recommendations from this work.

Methods

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit established a community involvement scheme in 2021, funding four community involvement projects enabling researchers to engage with under-served communities. Reflections were captured through regular quarterly meeting group discussions, meeting notes and email correspondence.

Results

The paper presents the steps taken to initiate a scheme that provided funding for a diverse range of projects working with under-served communities. The projects demonstrated the value of allocating time to build relationships and trust, maintaining flexibility, and providing short-term benefits such as remuneration and training to the community.

Discussion

This paper has highlighted the need for research organisations to allocate funding and resources within their infrastructures for building trusting relationships with community leaders and communities.

Conclusion

This paper has outlined the steps undertaken to engage with under-served communities to bridge the gap between public health research and those communities. We present key recommendations to guide future initiatives aspiring to engage under-served communities in health research.

Patient or Public Contribution

Public contributors have been involved in all of the four community involvement projects mentioned in this paper. Two public contributors are also co-authors and have provided input to the writing and review of this manuscript.