Opportunities to enhance consumer and community engagement training for researchers and healthcare providers: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVE: To identify key training content for the education of researchers and healthcare providers in consumer and community engagement. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design, underpinned by pragmatism, involved semi-structured interviews and a focus group. We conducted a thematic analysis using a framework approach. SETTING: Community, hospital and university settings in Australia PARTICIPANTS: This study involved 28 individual interviews with researchers, ethics officers, leaders from consumer organisations and a focus group with six people working in health service settings. RESULTS: Key findings from our study reveal a wide scope of consumer and community involvement (CCI) training content recommended for researchers and healthcare providers. Four main themes for training content were identified: (1) Embedding consumer and community involvement in research and health improvement projects; (2) Connecting with consumers and the community; (3) Considerations for consumer and community involvement; and (4) Progressing CCI in research and healthcare. Participants emphasised the importance of building foundational relationships with consumers and community, as well as connecting with experts. While how to partner authentically with consumers and the community was another important training topic raised, so too were the administrative considerations involved in CCI partnerships. Furthermore, the identification of training content including reducing duplication of effort, embedding CCI training into the education of healthcare providers and researchers and building an evidence base for CCI, shows the importance participants placed on investing in and advancing the field. CONCLUSIONS: A wide scope of training content is required to support CCI capacity building in researchers and healthcare providers. Key training content is recommended to cover practical, relational, administrative, ethical and logistical aspects of CCI as well as guidance about how to advance CCI practice and its evidence base. Future work needs to focus on how the training content can be successfully implemented, evaluated and updated.