Collaborative inquiry for commnity health workers: Talking issues, making knowledge and changing practice

Collaborative Inquiry for Community Health Workers: Talking Issues, Making Knowledge and Changing Practice

Funded by the NIH - National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD), the Child Health Improvement for Milwaukee's Children: Save Lives-Immunize! (CHIMC) project has conducted community-based participatory research (CBPR) to eliminate immunization disparities in Milwaukee's neighborhoods since 2005. The community outreach team enrolls participants through local community events and community canvassing. They provide immunization education, track data and maintain contact with participants. Their efforts and experiences provoke significant considerations about the effectiveness and required skills to conduct this work. A systematic approach for learning from these experiences has been limited and incomplete. Question: How can systematic, collaborative inquiry into community outreach activities increase what community workers understand and improve what they know to be effective in the community? Purpose: An interactive presentation will review how questions are developed and addressed through cycles of reflection and action, peer participation, multiple ways of knowing and systematic validity procedures. Process: Community outreach workers and resident volunteers, project manager and academic partners will participate in monthly reflective cycles for six months in which they will: • formulate compelling questions about community outreach; • use data to develop and share stories about their experiences; • assess the practical knowledge that emerges from the process of collaborative inquiry; and • apply their insights into effective community work. Project Outcomes: • Enhanced understanding of effective outreach approaches; • Improved CBPR practices; and • Increased community capacity to change in practical, productive ways.