Consumers in research
Health service consumers and community members, are people with an interest in supporting the research activities of Metro South Health.
Metro South Health recognises that maximising the benefits of health research requires a community that guides and supports our research efforts. This involves informed consumers who participate in research and employees who effectively apply their knowledge and skills.
In addition to the provision of evidence becoming a compulsory component of many research funding schemes, researcher utilisation of the insight, experience and advice of consumers and community members is increasingly relevant to the development and undertaking of relevant research priorities and projects across Metro South Health.
Listed below are some guides, tools and existing mechanisms to assist individual researchers, research groups or departments to access this valuable input.
Consumers in Research Guideline
Guideline | GL2021/75 |
MSH consumer partnership resources
MSH Consumer Partnering (internal links)
- Metro South Health: NSQHS Standard 2: Partnering with Consumers (internal link)
- Consumer Partnering Clinical Governance – MSH Demographic + Consumer Partner Profile 2022
- MSH Consumer and Community Engagement Strategy 2020-2022
Procedures, Work Instructios and Guidelines (internal links)
- PR2019/186 Consumer Partner Orientation, Onboarding and Exit Procedure
- PR2021-285 Remuneration and Reimbursement of Consumer Procedure
- WI2023-233 Developing and Displaying Consumer Information Work Instruction
- PR2023-342 Delivering Health Literate Consumer Services Procedure
- PR2017-113 Ethical and Scientific Review of Human Research Procedure
- PR2017-116 Site Specific Assessment Procedure
- PR2021-259 Authorship, Peer Review and Open Access Publications Procedure
- GL2021-77 Clinical Trials Guideline
Education (internal links)
- MSH Consumer Partner Orientation Program
- MSH Research Induction
- Health Literacy
- Centres for Functioning Health Research: Partnering with Consumers in Research
Consumer engagement and consent form
- As part of the SSA process the Research Governance office must be advised when consumers are engaged for a specific study.
- The MSH Consumer engagement and consent form template is required when the consumer is engaged as part of the research team and is likely to be included as a co-author on any resulting publications.
- To illustrate by way of examples, Consumer engagement and consent form is required if the consumer is a listed co-investigator, given data to analyse, involved in writing the PICF or protocol, involved in study design and/or their work is being included.
- Please include the research project/study title and ERM Reference Number and ensure the information sheet/consent form is signed by the relevant Principal Investigator/Supervisor
- For more information please see the:
Toolkits and other resources
National Clinical Trials Governance Framework (NCTGF)
Health Translation Queensland (HTQ)
- Health Translation Queensland: Consumer and community involvement resources
- Health Translation Queensland: Our Consumer and Community Involvement Program
Health Consumers Queensland
Other
- Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA): Consumer Involvement and Engagement Toolkit
- ACCESSCR - Clinical Trial Solutions: Demystifying the National Clinical Trials Governance Framework for Health Consumers
- PRAXIS Australia online course: Consumer Involvement in Research: Module EC.11
- CT:IQ Site Recruitment Guide
- Telethon Kids Institute
- Monash Partners Consumer and Community Involvement learning modules and other resources
- NHMRC Review of the Statement on Consumer and Community Involvement in Health and Medical Research
- InformMe (Stroke Foundation): Working effectively with people with lived experience to design, conduct and promote stroke research
- InformMe (Stroke Foundation): Working well with stroke researchers
- BMC: Research Involvement and Engagement
- Patient-Centred Outcomes Research Institute
Publications
- BJ Psych paper: Researchers looked at 374 Health research studies and reported trials with the highest levels of involvement were 4.12 times more likely to recruit to target
- Clinical trials site recruitment optimisation: Guidance from Clinical Trials: Impact and Quality
Microgrants for consumer and community involvement
The Health Translation Queensland Consumer and Community Involvement (CCI) microgrant program is designed to support research projects to fund consumer involvement in project design and research priority setting.
Metro South staff are eligible to apply. Contact communications@healthtranslationqld.gov.au for the EOI form.
HTQ Consumer and Community Involvement Program
*Please note, micro grant applications take approximately 2-4 weeks to assess once submitted. Please be mindful of this timeframe in relation to your project deadlines.
Information for our community
For more information on consumer and community engagement: