Working with diverse ethnic communities

Read the report

Download our report by clicking here [to follow].

The full text of our eight recommendations is available here.  The Evidence to Decision Framework we used to collate our findings, and support the recommendations is available here.

Aims and Objectives

This research explored how researchers and diverse ethnic communities can work together to make health research more inclusive and relevant. The objectives were to:

1. Review existing knowledge about effective collaboration.
2. Understand the views and challenges faced by diverse communities regarding health research.
3. Identify what helps or hinders researchers in collaborating with communities.
4. Develop recommendations and suggestions for training to improve collaboration.

Background

Health research often overlooks diverse ethnic communities, leaving them under-served. Collaborative research approaches are needed to address these gaps and ensure research meets the needs of all communities.

Methods

The study had three parts:

1. Reviewing previous studies about researcher-community collaboration (see our rapid review report)
2. Focus groups and interviews with diverse ethnic communities and researchers (generally together) to understand their perspectives and experiences of research.
3. Using the Evidence-to-Decision Framework to create recommendations and identify training needs, finalised through online meetings in November 2024.

Key Findings

The research produced eight recommendations, with reforming funding systems being the most critical. Recommendations include:

• Provide pre-award funding to support the co-design of research.
• Involve communities from the start of research.
• Make collaboration an institutional, not only individual, responsibility.
• Create website(s) for sharing research results and fostering partnerships.

Dissemination, Outputs, and Impact

Findings will be shared through reports (see links above), journal articles, and online platforms.

Patient and Public Involvement

Community partners were involved throughout the project, from designing the research to collecting data and interpreting findings. Egality Health co-led the work, providing strong links to community organizations.

Conclusions and Future Plans

Collaboration is essential for inclusive health research but is hindered by structural barriers like funding. Implementing these recommendations can improve collaboration and benefit diverse ethnic communities. Next steps include engaging stakeholders and driving adoption of the recommendations.

Where can I find out more?  

For more information please email info@trialforge.org.