Stakeholder Engagement
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
A core element of patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) is involving patients, caregivers, and members of the public as partners in research. However, there is little agreement about how best to do this. The Center is working with the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to identify the most effective methods of including these stakeholder perspectives in clinical research. The project assesses methods for stakeholder involvement at all stages of the research process, from topic selection through dissemination of results. Findings from this project will help determine future research in this area and provide guidance to researchers on how best to include patients in their work.
Stakeholder Engagement Project for Washington State Health Technology Assessment
In 2011, the Washington State Health Technology Assessment Program (WA HTA) commissioned the Center to conduct a review of similar programs and their components, and to complete a qualitative assessment of the WA HTA's existing stakeholder engagement efforts, making recommendations for enhancement.
The WA HTA evaluates selected health technologies using evidence-based reviews and an independent clinical committee. It strives to achieve better health care outcomes for enrollees and beneficiaries of state programs by paying for health technologies that work.
The Center's qualitative assessment included outreach to stakeholders to gather feedback about their understanding of and satisfaction with key WA HTA components, including: evidence and analysis; transparency of program processes; stakeholder engagement consistent with its legislative mandate; and achievement of program objectives identified in legislative mandate.
The project resulted in two reports - the first comparing Washington State's program with other state, national and international technology assessment programs, and the second surveying stakeholder attitudes and opinions about the HTA.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Effective Health Care Program
The Effective Health Care (EHC) Program provides health care decision makers (consumers, clinicians, policymakers, and other stakeholders) with high quality information about health care interventions. The information provided is based on government funded research comparing different treatments and interventions for various health conditions. The EHC Program is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the federal Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
The Center acted as the EHC Program’s Stakeholder Engagement Team from 2007 to 2010. In this role, the Center designed and provided ongoing support of strategic stakeholder engagement activities, including coordinating the national advisory group, recruiting stakeholders for participation in program research, training investigators in how to effectively engage stakeholders in research, implementing pilot projects to improve stakeholder engagement techniques, and facilitating national forums to prioritize future research in areas with low levels of evidence.
