Towards Building a Bridge between Community Engagement in Research (CEnR) and Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER)

Abstract

A major national priority is establishing an effective infrastructure for translation of scientific discoveries into the community. Knowledge and practice continue to accelerate in health research yet healthcare recommendation adoption remains slow for practitioners, patients and communities. Two areas of research placed in the later stages of the translational research spectrum, Community Engagement in Research and Comparative Effectiveness Research, are ideal for approaching this challenge collaboratively. The Clinical and Translational Science Institute of Southeastern Wisconsin convened academics and community-based organizations familiar with these fields of research in a one-day workshop to establish an initial dialogue on similarities and differences with a goal of exploring ways to operationalize a collective effort. Participants represented four academic institutions and twelve other healthcare and community-based service organizations. Primary fields of study included community engaged research, comparative effectiveness research, psychology, clinical research, administration, nursing, public health, education and other professionals. This initial report outlines the results of this diverse discussion and provides insights into the priorities, diverging issues, and areas for future examination and practice. Key discoveries reveal clear crosscutting issues, value in philosophical and provocative discussions among investigators, a need for practice and lessons learned, and bidirectional exchange with community representation.

Addressing power dynamics in community-engaged research partnerships

“…The importance of community engagement in academic research has gained in prominence and is recognized as an approach most likely to generate evidence that is trusted, meaningful, and useful to clinicians, patients, and their families when making health care decisions [1][2][3][4]. Successful community-engaged research depends on the quality of the collaborative partnerships between community -members and academic researchers and may take several forms depending on the purpose which dictates how power dynamics are handled within the collaborative arrangement [2,5].…”

“…First, in CBPR the purpose is thought to be improving population health in a way that is compatible with and dictated by the interest, needs, and concerns of the community [6][7][8]. In contrast, the function of community-engaged research partnerships is to establish an effective infrastructure for translation of research out into the community through uptake by practitioners providing the discovery to patients [1]. In other words, communityacademic partnerships conduct translational research with the aim of moving findings from "bench to bedside to curbside."…”

“…In other words, communityacademic partnerships conduct translational research with the aim of moving findings from "bench to bedside to curbside." [1,9,10].…”

Engaging patients, clinicians, and the community in a Clinical Data Research Network: Lessons learned from the CAPriCORN CDRN

“…The CAPriCORN engagement team drew on the fields of Community‐Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and stakeholder engagement in CER to develop a plan for meaningfully engaging key stakeholders in CDRN formation and governance. CBPR and the related field of Community Engaged Research (CEnR), seeks to build authentic partnerships between community members and academic researchers to address issues of greatest concern to the community . CBPR and CEnR take a comprehensive view of health with the goal of reducing health inequities and promote community participation as a means of increasing the relevance and impact of research.…”

“…CBPR and the related field of Community Engaged Research (CEnR), seeks to build authentic partnerships between community members and academic researchers to address issues of greatest concern to the community. 28,29 CBPR and CEnR take a comprehensive view of health with the goal of reducing health inequities and promote community participation as a means of increasing the relevance and impact of research.…”