Consultation is a structured approach that focuses on gathering insights, feedback or advice on specific research, healthcare improvement or project activities, policies, strategies or priorities. The consultation may occur as a once off, ad hoc, over a short period of time (weeks to months), or for a specific purpose/outcome.
There are various methods that consultation can occur in. Commonly used methods include focus groups or workshops, surveys, community conversations or a world café, public or town hall meetings and priority setting activities.
A research team conducted surveys and focus groups with people with cardiovascular disease to inform the development of a self-management digital tool. From 200 surveys and 30 people with cardiovascular disease and carers, there was a preference for personalised medication reminders, the need for peer support features and concerns about accessibility for older adults and non-English speakers were raised. Based on this feedback, the digital tool was adapted to include customisable alerts, a peer support forum and a translation tool. The consultation process ensured that the tool was patient-centred and addressed the realities of cardiovascular disease management.
To improve the accessibility and acceptability of genetic screening for inherited conditions, a community conversation was selected as a structured and interactive method of consultation with the public. The research team hosted one community conversation with 20 participants, including those with genetic risk factors, carers, clinicians and community advocates. Discussion was held around themes on accessibility, ethical concerns, communication of results and patient support needs. Key takeaways included a strong preference for clear, non-technical explanations of genetic risks, the need for culturally appropriate counselling and concerns about data privacy and insurance discrimination. From this feedback, the research team developed simplified genetic risk reports, multilingual counselling and stronger data protection policies into the screen process. The community conversation supported a collaborative dialogue to ensure that the genetic screening program was inclusive, patient-centred and ethically sound, increasing the public’s trust and uptake of genetic screening.
Resources
For more information about some of these methods, please see below.