Publications

Learning resulting from a multicentric study: a new article by Marie-Eve Poitras and her team as part of the Unité de soutien SRAP du Québec demonstration project

A research article entitled “Step-by-Step Strategies for an Integrated Patient-Oriented Research: Lessons Learned from a Multicentered Study” has been published. Its aim is to add to the literature on patient-oriented research (POR) in a context that brings together the perspectives of both research teams and patients, rather than reporting them separately.

The article was created under the leadership of Marie-Eve Poitras as part of component 2B of the Unité de soutien SRAP du Québec demonstration project.

Context

The literature on POR, particularly concerning the collaborative experience between patient partners and research teams, varies in how the experience is reported. There has been an emergence in POR literature in Canada over the past few years, providing more recommendations on effective ways to engage patients in research. However, this literature most often reports the experience of either the researchers or the patient partners, but rarely combines both perspectives.Objective

The article “Step-by-Step Strategies for an Integrated Patient-Oriented Research: Lessons Learned from a Multicentered Study” is intended to add to the literature on POR and to provide examples of daily activities before, during and after POR.

Methods

Dr. Poitras’s team based its approach on the four POR principles of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). In the article, the team describes the step-by-step strategies used during the research project. It also offers tips and examples shared by patient partners and researchers.

Discussion and conclusion

To foster positive engagement in a patient-oriented research process, Marie-Eve Poitras’s team identified three steps that allowed them to draw three lessons from the experience:

  1. Training on POR needs to be adapted to the populations involved in the research project
  2. Researchers need to be humble and open-minded in recognizing varied experiences
  3. The contribution of patient partners must be recognized, which includes standardizing financial remuneration for their work

We hope that the reflections and experiences shared in this article will benefit research teams in establishing and fostering POR.

  • Implementation and change management
  • Patient-Public-Organizational Partnership
  • Skills development, training and mentoring