Reasons to Engage Patients in Research
IMHA is the first CIHR institute to actively encourage the research community to embrace incorporating patient engagement in the research process and provide the resources to do it. While patient engagement is becoming more familiar – and required – in research projects, many researchers and patients are still unsure why engagement is important. The process can appear daunting and many are uncertain how to begin.
The video, 6 Reasons to Engage Patients in Research, showcases potential benefits for researchers when involving patients on a research team and throughout the research process. Specifically, researchers can benefit from: new perspectives on the research team; appreciating patient knowledge – both lived and relevant experiences; understanding research priorities and outcomes that are important to patients and their families; opportunities to engage patients’ larger communities with the research; potential new research partnerships; and giving trainees the chance to learn from engaging patients in research.
Visit IMHA’s Patient Engagement in Research Resources, the CIHR-SPOR webpage, and the CIHR Citizen Engagement Strategy for more information on how patient engagement has been integrated into research.
Find out more about IMHA’s Patient Engagement Research Ambassadors ->