Exploring participatory health research and its application to speech and language therapy research practices

Background: The role of participatory health research (PHR) is increasingly acknowledged by funding bodies, researchers and civil society globally; how-ever, it continues to be under-represented in the speech and language therapy (SLT) research literature. This collaborative research approach is associated with the increased application of research evidence, and the generation of positive impacts in practice, policy, health systems and society. Aims: To increase researchers’ and other participatory partners’ understanding of PHR, and to demonstrate its applicability to research in the SLT field. Methods & Procedures: This aim is achieved through a discussion on PHR, its principles, benefits and challenges, and the evaluation of its impact. A recently developed evaluation framework to support the implementation of best engagement practices is examined, and recommendations for how this framework can be used to plan and evaluate engagement in participatory stuttering research is presented. Main contribution: This paper serves as an important conversation on the value of PHR to SLT research, and presents guidance to support its increased implementation in this research field. Conclusions & Implications: Conclusions & Implications: PHR remains an under-represented research approach in the SLT literature, despite increasing evidence demonstrating its effectiveness and value. It offers a potential solution to the research–practice gap, and challenges the ongoing research hierarchies by democrating the process of knowledge production.</p

An integrative review protocol on interventions to improve users’ ability to identify trustworthy online health information

Background The epidemiological transition phenomena drive the attention to focus the scope on health literacy as it has an impact on patients’ health outcomes and quality of life. Aim This paper aims to explore the implemented interventions for improving users’ ability to identify trustworthy online health information. Methodology A comprehensive search of the literature will be conducted on the following electronic biblio?graphic databases: Ovid Medline, Embase, Cochrane database, Academic search complete and APA psycinfo. Further, manual search of eligible studies reference lists will be carried out to identify other eligible studies. The search strategy will include a combination of three key blocks of terms, namely: (adult OR adults) Or (patient OR patients) OR (layperson OR laypersons) OR (caregiver OR caregivers), (Intervention OR Interventions) OR Educa?tional programs OR (health literacy And curriculum) OR Community outreach OR Interactive workshops OR (Online portal OR Patient Portals), and information seeking behavior OR consumer health information OR online information OR social media OR access to information. The results of these categories will then be combined using the AND connector. Two independent reviewers will screen and assess data quality. Disagreements will be resolved by consensus. Due to the anticipated methodological pluralism of the potentially eligible studies, a narrative synthesis of the findings on interventions aimed at improving users’ ability to identify trustworthy online information will be provided according to the pre-identified thematic areas. Furthermore, a narrative synthesis of the reported barriers and facilitators for applying these interventions by end users. Expected results and impact Given that the focus of our review findings is on understanding the breadth and depth of the global research into interventions to improve users’ ability to identify trustworthy online health information. The findings will be of great value to inform future innovative approaches to promote identification of trustable online sources for young people worldwide.</p

Exploring how patients, carers and members of the public are recruited to advisory boards, groups and panels as partners in public and patient involved health research: a scoping review protocol

Introduction Engaging patients, carers and members of the public in health research has become widely recognised as an important approach for bridging the gap between research, and health and social care by increasing the relevance of research for those who benefit from its findings. Specific approaches to engagement vary, but commonly include advisory boards, groups or patient panels that are active throughout all stages of research. The breadth of and optimal strategies for recruiting patients, carers and members of the public to such boards, groups or panels remains unclear. The objective of this manuscript is to identify the breadth of and optimal strategies used to recruit patients, carers and members of the public to advisory boards, groups or panels, within public and patient involvement (PPI) research.Methods and analysis This review follows the scoping review framework by Peters et al, an elaboration on the framework by Arksey and O’Malley. The search strategy was co-developed among the research team, PPI research experts and a faculty librarian. The review will take place between July 2021 and June 2022. In July and August 2021, eight electronic databases, MEDLINE (PubMed), MEDLINE (OVID), Embase, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library, will be explored to capture all available literature. Two independent reviewers will screen articles by title and abstract and then at full text based on predetermined criteria. The data will be presented in a tabular format with a narrative summary discussing how the research findings relate to the overarching research question. A thematic analysis will also be completed using qualitative description, identifying key themes and gaps in the literature.Ethics and dissemination Ethics is not required for this review. We aim to disseminate the information gathered through presentations at academic conferences, peer-reviewed publications and consultations with lay audiences.</p

Participatory approaches in the context of research into workplace health promotion to improve physical activity levels and reduce sedentary behaviour among office-based workers: protocol for a scoping review

Physical activity (PA) workplace health promotion (WHP) interventions have traditionally used a top-down research approach where end-users are considered as passive subjects. Whereas participatory research (PR) involves the end-users within the research process utilising a bottom-up approach which allows the integration of the researcher’s expertise and the end-users lived experiences, which has been shown to aid in the acceptability and relevance of the research. This protocol describes a scoping review which will explore, identify and map PR techniques and their impact when used in office-based WHP interventions designed to improve PA and reduce sedentary behaviour levels

Exploring the Multidimensionality of Trust in Participatory Health Partnerships - A Network Approach

Previous studies have identified “trust” as a key mechanism to achieve sustainable partnerships in participatory health research, which themselves can represent social networks. A recent review discussed the potential for social network analysis to investigate the development and maintenance of trust and its effects on partnership functioning in participatory health research partnerships. This review also recommended considering a comprehensive, nuanced and multidimensional approach to conceptualizing, operationalizing and measuring trust in research partnerships. Thus, this study aims to explore empirically the conceptualizing, operationalizing and measuring of trust in a multidimensional manner, approaching each trust dimension as an individual trust network, as well as combined as an overall trust network. </p