Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The science of stakeholder engagement in research: classification, implementation, and evaluation

  • Commentary/Position Paper
  • Published:
Translational Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

In this commentary, we discuss the science of stakeholder engagement in research. We propose a classification system with definitions to determine where projects lie on the stakeholder engagement continuum. We discuss the key elements of implementation and evaluation of stakeholder engagement in research posing key questions to consider when doing this work. We commend and critique the work of Hamilton et al. in their multilevel stakeholder engagement in a VA implementation trial of evidence-based quality improvement in women’s health primary care. We also discuss the need for more work in this area to enhance the science of stakeholder engagement in research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Eccles MP, Mittman BS. Welcome to implementation science. Implement Sci. 2006; 1(1). doi:10.1186/1748-5908-1-1.

  2. Feldstein, A. C., & Glasgow, R. E. A practical, robust implementation for integrating research findings into practice. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 2008; 34(4), 228–243.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Grimshaw JM, Eccles MP, Lavis JN, Hill SJ, Squires JE, McGlynn E, … Grol R. Knowledge translation of research findings. Implement Sci. 2012; 7(1), 50. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-7-50.

  4. Zerhouni, E. A. Translational and clinical science—time for a new vision. New England Journal of Medicine, 2005; 353(15), 1621–1623. doi:10.1056/NEJMsb053723.

  5. Wilkins CH, Spofford M, Williams N, Mckeever C, Allen S, Brown J, … Strelnick AH. Community representatives’ involvement in clinical and translational science awardee activities. Clin Transl Sci. 2013; 6(4), 292–296. doi:10.1111/cts.12072.

  6. Yarborough, M., Edwards, K., Espinoza, P., Geller, G., Sarwal, A., Sharp, R., & Spicer, P. Relationships hold the key to trustworthy and productive translational science: recommendations for expanding community engagement in biomedical research. Clinical and Translational Science, 2013; 6(4), 310–313. doi:10.1111/cts.12022.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Kost, R. G., Reider, C., Stephens, J., & Schuff, K. G. Research subject advocacy: program implementation and evaluation at clinical and translational science award centers. Academic Medicine, 2012; 87(9), 1228–1236. doi:10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182628afa.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Arnstein SR. A ladder of citizen participation.  Journal of the American Planning Association, 1969; 35(4), 216-224

  9. Viswanathan, M., & for Healthcare Research, U. S. A., & Quality. Community-based participatory research: assessing the evidence. 2004; Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Montoya, M. J., & Kent, E. E. Dialogical action: moving from community-based to community-driven participatory research. Qualitative Health Research, 2011; 21(7), 1000–1011. doi:10.1177/1049732311403500.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Israel BA, Coombe CM, Cheezum RR, Schulz AJ, McGranaghan RJ, Lichtenstein R, … Burris A. Community-based participatory research: a capacity-building approach for policy advocacy aimed at eliminating health disparities. Am J Public Health. 2010; 100(11), 2094–2102.

  12. Israel BA. Methods in community-based participatory research for health. 2005; Jossey-Bass Inc; San Francisco, CA.

  13. American Hospital Association. Committee on research. AHA research synthesis report: patient-centered medical home (PCMH). 2010; Chicago, IL: American Hospital Association.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Israel, B. A., Schulz, A. J., Parker, E. A., & Becker, A. Review of community-based research: assessing partnership approaches to improve public health. Annual Review of Public Health, 1998; 19, 173–202. doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.19.1.173.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Hamilton A, Brunner J, Cain C, Chuang E, Canelo I, Rubenstein L, Yano E. Multilevel stakeholder engagement in a VA implementation trial of evidence-based quality improvment in women’s health primary care. Transl Behav Med. n.d..

  16. Nueces, D., Las, D., Hacker, K., DiGirolamo, A., Hicks, S., De Las Nueces, D., & Hicks, L. S. A systematic review of community-based participatory research to enhance clinical trials in racial and ethnic minority groups. Health Services Research, 2012; 47(3 Pt 2), 1363–1386. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6773.2012.01386.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. D’Agostino McGowan L, Stafford JD, Thompson VL, Johnson-Javois B, Goodman MS, D’Agostino McGowan L, … Goodman MS Quantitative evaluation of the community research fellows training program. Front Public Health. 2015; 3(July), 179. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2015.00179.

  18. Coats, J. V., Stafford, J. D., Sanders Thompson, V., Johnson Javois, B., & Goodman, M. S. Increasing research literacy: the community research fellows training program. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 2015; 10(1), 3–12. doi:10.1177/1556264614561959.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Komaie, G., Ekenga, C. C., Thompson, V. L. S., & Goodman, M. S. Increasing community research capacity to address health disparities: a qualitative program evaluation of the community research fellows training program Goldie Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 2017; 12(1), 55–66. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05089.x.The

  20. Peikes D, Zutshi A, Genevro J, Smith K. Early evidence on the patient-centered medical home. Am J Manag. 2012. Retrieved from https://pcmh.ahrq.gov/page/early-evidence-patient-centered-medical-home.

  21. Stockdale SE, Zuchowski J, Rubenstein LV, Sapir N, Yano EM, Altman L, … Hamilton AB. Fostering evidence-based quality improvement for patient-centered medical homes: initiating local quality councils to transform primary care. Health Care Manage Rev. 2016

  22. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Developing program goals and measurable objectives. Practical Use of Program Evaluation among STD Programs Manual. 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/std/Program/pupestd/DevelopingProgramGoalsandObjectives.pdf.

  23. Thompson VLS, Drake B, James AS, Norfolk M, Goodman M, Ashford L, … Colditz G. A community coalition to address cancer disparities: transitions, successes and challenges. J Cancer Educ. 2014; 30(4), 616–622. doi:10.1007/s13187-014-0746-3.

  24. Arroyo-Johnson C, Allen ML, Colditz GA, Ali Hurtado G, Davey CS, Thompson VLS, … Goodman MS. A tale of two Community Networks Program Centers: Operationalizing and assessing CBPR principles and evaluating partnership outcomes. Progr Commun Health Partnersh. 2015; 9(Special Issue), 61–69. doi:10.1353/cpr.2015.0026.

  25. Goodman MS, Sanders Thompson VL, Arroyo Johnson C, Gennarelli R, Drake BF, Witherspoon M, … Bowen D. Evaluating community engagement in research: quantitative measure development. J Commun Psychol, 2017; 45(1): 17-32.

  26. Minkler, M., & Wallerstein, N. N. (Eds.), Community-based participatory research for health: From process to outcomes. 2010; San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

  27. Wallerstein, N., & Duran, B. Community-based participatory research contributions to intervention research: the intersection of science and practice to improve health equity. American Journal of Public Health, 2010; 100(Suppl 1), 40–46. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.184036.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Wallerstein, N. B., & Duran, B. Using community-based participatory research to address health disparities. Health Promotion Practice, 2006; 7(3), 312.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Deborah Bowen for her contribution to the development of the stakeholder engagement classification definitions used in the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Global Public Health, New York University, 715-719 Broadway, 10th Floor, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Melody S. Goodman PhD

  2. Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Vetta L. Sanders Thompson PhD

Authors
  1. Melody S. Goodman PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Vetta L. Sanders Thompson PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Melody S. Goodman PhD.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Funding

The stakeholder engagement classification work is supported through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) award (ME-1511-33027). All statements in this report, including its findings and conclusions, are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), its Board of Governors, or Methodology Committee.

Additional information

Implications

Research: Future research should evaluate stakeholder engagement in research to determine the association between the level (quality and quantity) of engagement and research outcomes.

Practice: Practitioners interested in engaging multilevel stakeholders in service evaluation and quality improvement should consider where the project lies on the stakeholder engagement continuum and create processes for shared decision-making that respect diverse perspectives and interests.

Policy: Meaningful stakeholder engagement with shared decision-making is a key component to evidence-based quality improvement initiatives.

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Goodman, M.S., Sanders Thompson, V.L. The science of stakeholder engagement in research: classification, implementation, and evaluation. Behav. Med. Pract. Policy Res. 7, 486–491 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-017-0495-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-017-0495-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation