scholarly journals Organic Collaborative Research Partnership Building: Researchers, Needle and Syringe Program Providers, and People Who Inject Drugs

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1417
Author(s):  
Danielle Resiak ◽  
Elias Mpofu ◽  
Roderick Rothwell
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Program Implementation ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
People Who Inject Drugs ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Community Research ◽  
Research Partnership ◽  
Research Partnerships ◽  
Needle And Syringe Program

(1) Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) and needle and syringe program (NSP) providers increasingly partner with researchers to explore harm reduction best practice. However, a paucity of research exists regarding how best to engage PWID and community NSP providers to generate the evidence for sustainable harm reduction services. (2) Aim: This study reports on our use of an organic community research partnership-building approach between researchers, NSP providers, and PWID in Canberra ACT, Australia. (3) Method: Survey participants included both PWID (n = 70) and NSP providers (n = 26) across primary (n = 2), secondary (n = 7), and outreach (n = 1) services in Canberra ACT. Applying an organic partnership-building strategy, we engaged with partners and adapted approaches according to information gained in the process of implementation. (4) Results: We found engaging in relationship building around partner priority activities created mutual understanding and trust premised in authenticity of the evolving partnership. Our organic approach, which included a partner audit of the research tools for relevance, resulted in high acceptance and enrolment into the research by NSP providers and PWID. Finally, we observed strong social capital building utilizing an organic approach for the sustainability of the partnership. (5) Conclusions: The results of this study provide evidence for the benefits of organic collaborative research partnership building with NSP providers and PWID for authentic service program implementation. Our approach to research partnership building resulted in strong relationships built on shared goals and objectives, mutual gains, and complementary expertise. We propose the wider use of organic approaches to developing collaborative research partnerships with NSP providers and PWID to enhance consumer responsiveness towards service provision.

scholarly journals Using an integrated knowledge translation or other research partnership approach in trainee-led research: a scoping review protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e043756
Author(s):  
Christine E Cassidy ◽  
Amy Jane Beck ◽  
Aislinn Conway ◽  
Melissa Demery Varin ◽  
Celia Laur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Translation ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Integrated Knowledge Translation ◽  
Research Partnership ◽  
Research Partnerships ◽  
Scoping Reviews ◽  
Partnership Approach ◽  
Integrated Knowledge

IntroductionCollaborative research approaches, such as co-production, co-design, engaged scholarship and integrated knowledge translation (IKT), aim to bridge the evidence to practice and policy gap. There are multiple benefits of collaborative research approaches, but studies report many challenges with establishing and maintaining research partnerships. Researchers often do not have the opportunity to learn how to build collaborative relationships, and most graduate students do not receive formal training in research partnerships. We are unlikely to make meaningful progress in strengthening graduate and postgraduate training on working collaboratively with the health system until we have a better understanding of how students are currently engaging in research partnership approaches. In response, this scoping review aims to map and characterise the evidence related to using an IKT or other research partnership approach from the perspective of health research trainees.Methods and analysisWe will employ methods described by the Joanna Briggs Institute and Arksey and O’Malley’s framework for conducting scoping reviews. The reporting will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for scoping reviews checklist. We will include both published and unpublished grey literature and search the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global databases, Google Scholar and websites from professional bodies and other organisations. Two reviewers will independently screen the articles and extract data using a standardised data collection form. We will narratively describe quantitative data and conduct a thematic analysis of qualitative data. We will map the IKT and other research partnership activities onto the Knowledge to Action cycle and IAP2 Levels of Engagement Framework.Ethics and disseminationNo ethical approval is required for this study. We will share the results in a peer-reviewed, open access publication, conference presentation and stakeholder communications.

scholarly journals Using an Integrated Knowledge Translation Approach and Other Research Partnership Approaches in Trainee-Led Research: A Scoping Review Protocol

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Cassidy ◽  
Amy Beck ◽  
Aislinn Conway ◽  
Melissa Demery Varin ◽  
Celia Laur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Translation ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
Integrated Knowledge Translation ◽  
Research Partnership ◽  
Research Partnerships ◽  
Scoping Reviews ◽  
Integrated Knowledge

Introduction: Collaborative research approaches, such as co-production, co-design, engaged scholarship, and integrated knowledge translation (IKT), aim to bridge the evidence to practice and policy gap. There are multiple benefits of collaborative research approaches, but studies report many challenges with establishing and maintaining research partnerships. Researchers often do not have the opportunity to learn how to build collaborative relationships, and most graduate students do not receive formal training in research partnerships. We are unlikely to make meaningful progress in strengthening graduate and post-graduate training on working collaboratively with the health system until we have a better understanding of how students are currently engaging in research partnership approaches. In response, this scoping review aims to map and characterize the evidence related to using an IKT approach or other research partnerships from the perspective of health research trainees.Methods and Analysis: We will employ methods described by the Joanna Briggs Institute and Arksey and O’Malley’s framework for conducting scoping reviews. The reporting will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. We will include both published and unpublished grey literature and search the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global databases, Google Scholar, and websites from professional bodies and other organisations. Two reviewers will independently screen the articles and extract data using a standardized data collection form. We will narratively describe quantitative data and conduct a thematic analysis of qualitative data. We will map the IKT and other research partnership activities onto the Knowledge to Action cycle and IAP2 Levels of Engagement Framework. Ethics and Dissemination: No ethical approval is required for this study. We will share the results in a peer-reviewed, open access publication, conference presentation and stakeholder communications.

Engage for Equity: Development of Community-Based Participatory Research Tools

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myra Parker ◽  
Nina Wallerstein ◽  
Bonnie Duran ◽  
Maya Magarati ◽  
Ellen Burgess ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Participatory Research ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Community Research ◽  
Promising Practices ◽  
Research Partnership ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Research Partnerships ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Tool Accessibility

We developed a set of four community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership tools aimed at supporting community–academic research partnerships in strengthening their research processes, with the ultimate goal of improving research outcomes. The aim of this article is to describe the tools we developed to accomplish this goal: (1) the River of Life Exercise; (2) a Partnership Visioning Exercise; (3) a personalized Partnership Data Report of data from academic and community research partners; and (4) a Promising Practices Guide with aggregated survey data analyses on promising CBPR practices associated with CBPR and health outcomes from two national samples of CBPR projects that completed a series of two online surveys. Relying on Paulo Freire’s philosophy of praxis, or the cycles of collective reflection and action, we developed a set of tools designed to support research teams in holding discussions aimed at strengthening research partnership capacity, aligning research partnership efforts to achieve grant aims, and recalling and operationalizing larger social justice goals. This article describes the theoretical framework and process for tool development and provides preliminary data from small teams representing 25 partnerships who attended face-to-face workshops and provided their perceptions of tool accessibility and intended future use.

scholarly journals High levels of used syringe use and unsafe sex among people who inject drugs in Kumasi, Ghana: an urgent call for a comprehensive harm reduction approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa J. Messersmith ◽  
Rose Adjei ◽  
Jennifer Beard ◽  
Angela R. Bazzi ◽  
Joel J. Earlywine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
People Who Inject Drugs ◽  
Syringe Sharing ◽  
Unsafe Sex ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Major Drug

Abstract Background Drug use is a growing concern in Ghana. People who inject drugs (PWID) are highly vulnerable to HIV and other infectious diseases. Ghana’s National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS 2016–2020 identifies PWID as a key population, but efforts to address the needs of PWID have lagged behind those targeting sex workers and men who have sex with men. Lack of information about PWID is a critical barrier to implementing effective HIV prevention and treatment. We aimed to learn more about the vulnerability of the PWID population in order to inform much-needed harm reduction interventions. Methods From April to July 2018, we conducted a mixed methods study in Kumasi, Ghana, to identify all major drug using locations, count the numbers of PWID to obtain rough population size estimations, and administer anonymous surveys to 221 PWID regarding drug use and sexual behavior. We also tested for HIV, HCV, and HBV from syringes used by survey participants. Results Key informants identified five major drug using locations and estimated the total PWID population size to be between 600 and 2000. Enumerators counted between 35 and 61 individuals present at each of the five bases. Sharing syringes and reusing discarded syringes are common practices. Over half of survey participants (59%) reported past-month syringe sharing (34% used a used syringe and 52% gave away a used syringe). Individuals with higher injection frequency (≥ 21 times weekly) and who injected with four or more people had higher odds of syringe sharing. Of the survey participants reporting sex in the last month (23%), most reported having one partner, but only 12% used condoms. Nearly all women (11/13) reported exchanging sex for drugs and 6/13 reported exchanging sex for money in the last six months. Fifteen percent of participants (all men) reported paying for sex using drugs or money. Of the used syringes, prevalence estimates were 3% (HIV), 2% (HCV), and 9% (HBV). Conclusions Our findings confirm the urgent need to implement harm reduction interventions targeting PWID and to build a strong and enabling legal and policy environment in Ghana to support these efforts.

A Process Evaluation of San Francisco’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Program

2021 ◽  
pp. 088740342110333
Author(s):  
Erica Jovanna Magaña ◽  
Dina Perrone ◽  
Aili Malm
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Program Implementation ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Implementation Barriers ◽  
Diversion Program ◽  
Drug Laws ◽  
Point Of Entry ◽  
Reducing Recidivism

In 2016, San Francisco (SF) implemented the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, a harm reduction–based pre-booking diversion system for people who violate drug laws and/or are engaged in sex work. LEAD is set apart from existing diversion programs, as it uses police as point of entry. Prior LEAD studies indicate some success in reducing recidivism and improving life outcomes. However, less is known about program implementation, including barriers and facilitators. Relying on policy documents, interviews, and focus groups, this study describes the LEAD SF’s development, operations, adaptations, and challenges. It also identifies the unique context of LEAD SF that led to implementation barriers and facilitators. Results show that SF experienced success in collaboration, relationship building, and client connections to services but experienced challenges in securing and maintaining police officer buy-in and keeping clear and open lines of communication regarding LEAD goals, objectives, policies, and procedures. This led to the termination of LEAD SF in 2020.

Extremely low and sustained HIV incidence among people who inject drugs in a setting of harm reduction

AIDS ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Iversen ◽  
Handan Wand ◽  
Libby Topp ◽  
John Kaldor ◽  
Lisa Maher
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
People Who Inject Drugs ◽  
Hiv Incidence

scholarly journals The ethics of care and transformational research practices in Aotearoa New Zealand

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 340-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tula Brannelly ◽  
Amohia Boulton
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Ethics Of Care ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
Research Partnership ◽  
Research Partnerships ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
The People ◽  
Dialogic Approach ◽  
The Relationship

Democratising methodologies often require research partnerships in practice. Research partnerships between indigenous and non-indigenous partners are commonplace, but there is unsatisfactory guidance available to non-indigene researchers about how to approach the relationship in a way that builds solidarity with the aims of the indigenous community. Worse still, non-indigenous researchers may circumvent indigenous communities to avoid causing offense, in effect silencing those voices. In this article, we argue that the ethics of care provides a framework that can guide ethical research practice, because it attends to the political positioning of the people involved, acknowledges inequalities and aims to address these in solidarity with the community. Drawing on our research partnership in Aotearoa New Zealand, we explain how the ethics of care intertwines with Māori values, creating a synergistic and dialogic approach.

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