Abstract
Members of the public want to access and use research evidence to help them make health and treatment decisions. While efforts have been made by researchers, funders and governmental bodies to make health research transparent and accessible, some members of the public face challenges and barriers that hinder access to health research.
This two phase study described (i) the extent and nature of the published evidence on the ways that members of the public access health research and (ii) how people from ethnically diverse communities (Black and South Asian communities) access and use health research.
For the first phase, a scoping review was conducted informed by the the Joanna Briggs Institute guidance for conducting scoping reviews (https://osf.io/rxp39). The second phase included 30 individual semi-structured interviews with members of the Black or south Asian community and two ethnographic observational visits to community meetings organized by the Mosaic Community Trust, a registered charity working to promote community cohesion and raise awareness about health and well-being in its communities in North Westminster.
Aim
This study aimed to answer the research questions:
1: What is the extent and nature of the published evidence on the ways that members of the public access health research?
2: How do members of the public from ethnically diverse communities (Black and South Asian communities) access and use health research?
Intended Impact of the Study
Recent open access publication:
Heaton-Shrestha, C., Hanson, K., Quirke-McFarlane, S. et al. Exploring how members of the public access and use health research and information: a scoping review. BMC Public Health 23, 2179 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16918-8
Project Lead
Project Collaborators
Kristin Hanson
The Mosaic Community Trust
Contact Project Author
Keywords
URL
Research Area(s)
Study Design(s)
Other Designs: A scoping review and qualitative study
Data Collection Method(s)
Participant(s)
Other Participants: Members of the public including people from ethnically diverse communities (Black and South Asian communities)