Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

The CIHR Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research calls for researchers to engage people with lived experience and family members (PWLE/F) in health research, including mental health and substance use. In engagement roles, PWLE/F can advise on, collaborate on, co-design, or lead many aspects of research. We reviewed the literature to identify knowledge and practice gaps in PWLE/F engagement in mental health and substance use research. We found that greater guidance is needed to support teams PWLE/F-engaged mental health research teams, including guideline and resource development and standardization, institutional capacity development, and appropriate training. We also found that research evidence gaps notably include a need to evaluate the impacts of engagement. This Planning & Dissemination Project application is the next step in this line of work. We propose to conduct three Canada-wide events bringing together researchers and PWLE/F to reflect together on the knowledge and practice gaps and the most important priorities for moving PWLE/F engagement forward effectively in the mental health and substance use research sphere. After presenting the findings of our literature review to PWLE/F and researchers in virtual events, we will facilitate discussions to understand their perspectives on the findings, identify additional gaps, and set priorities for this area of research moving forward. World Café style discussions will be facilitated by an engagement coordinator, a research lead, and a PWLE/F, to collect feedback and plan for future work. PWLE/F engagement will be at the forefront of all stages of the project, from planning to knowledge translation. This project will lead to a robust priority plan that sets out the next steps in practice development and essential research projects to improve engagement work by mental health and substance use researchers across Canada and internationally.