Developing patient-centered outcomes research projects in the community for the community

BACKGROUND: The mission of the Community Health Applied Research Network (CHARN) is to build capacity to carry out Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) that will lead to better patient care at community health centers (CHCs). In-person training workshop was identified as one of the top priorities by CHC staff in the CHARN Research Capacity Needs Assessment. In August 2012, AAPCHO conducted a research training workshop for its member CHCs and partner community organizations in CHARN to further develop CHCs' capacity in conducting research of community significance. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of the training is to understand the significance and uniqueness of conducting research in a CHC setting and develop community research participation criteria for ensuring that research concerning the communities is relevant for and can directly benefit the communities. METHODS: The training was co-organized and attended by CHC staff, community members, and academic partners. Following three panel discussion sessions delivered by CHC administrators, CHC staff, and community members respectively, and working with four consultant researchers, all trainees collectively developed criteria for CHCs to consider in conducting research. Four research concepts were also presented and discussed to apply and test the criteria. RESULTS: We developed a set of 33 standards under 5 main categories including community involvement, alignment with the mission of the CHC, equitable and balanced budget, accountability to the community, and mutually agreeable standards. We also disseminated the community research participation criteria to funding agencies and community partners through various venues including commentary letters, community briefs and on-line toolkit.