Principles of involvement

Principles of involvement

This page outlines a set of key principles for good practice in consumer involvement

Key Principles for Involvement

It is important to consider the principles that best enhance the potential impact of consumer involvement. The following are the principles outlined by the MRFF Consumer Reference Panel regarding consumer involvement in MRFF-funded research.

To achieve the best quality, outcomes and value for money in MRFF-funded research, consumers should be involved:

  • In every type of research, including basic science, public health, preventive health, translation, and clinical research.
  • At all stages of research, from defining the need/priority of a research question, refining the research question and research design, through to conduct of the research, and sharing and translation of results.
  • In partnership with researchers, with consumers respected and recognised for the valuable and complementary knowledge, expertise and perspectives they bring to the research.
  • Effectively, with sufficient time, resources and depth of relationships to enable consumers to understand and actively engage with and contribute to the research.
  • Sensitively and safely, through research teams with strong and broad capacity and capabilities in consumer involvement, appropriate training, and a supportive environment for consumers, and clearly defined and agreed roles.
  • With broad diversity and equity, with the goal of increasing involvement of priority populations through culturally safe and appropriate engagement.

The form and level of consumer involvement should be appropriate to the specific project and to that cohort of consumers.

It is also important to recognise the factors that may limit the effectiveness of your involvement plans or hinder any future plans. These include:

  • The values of the organisation
  • Failure to identify those best suited to a particular involvement activity
  • Uncertainty regarding the aims of the activity or what is required
  • Power relationships, which can mean that a person’s or organisation’s priorities dominate
  • A lack of clarity regarding the terms and conditions of involvement
  • A lack of organisational resources to support effective involvement

Further reading:

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