Participatory Approach to Qualitative Research (PAQ): Comparing Two Methods of Engaging Stakeholders in Qualitative Research

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating two methods of patient, public, and clinician involvement (PPCI) in qualitative research: a Consultative PPCI model and a Collaborative PPCI model. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to compare these approaches across three real-world qualitative studies addressing pediatric mental health, cancer screening, and serious illness. The goal is to understand which PPCI method better increases engagement, trust, and the patient-centeredness of research, especially among historically underrepresented groups. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the Consultative PPCI group, which uses Community Advisory Boards (CAB) with four quarterly meetings sharing leadership between participants and researchers, or the Collaborative PPCI group, called the Participatory Approach to Qualitative Research (PAQ), involving four idea coproduction sessions and close collaboration with study staff. Both groups will have trained facilitators guiding the engagement during an 18-month study period. Throughout the study, participants will contribute to all stages of the qualitative research projects including design, data collection, analysis, and sharing results. The research team will assess participant engagement using the Patient Engagement in Research scale (PEIRS-22) as the primary outcome after 18 months. Secondary outcomes include measures of partnership trust and patient-centeredness of research. The trial involves ongoing monitoring of participant experiences and partnership dynamics to evaluate differences between the two PPCI models.

Participatory Approaches to Qualitative Research (PAQ): Comparing Two Approaches to Patient, Public and Clinician Involvement in Qualitative Research