Creating innovative research designs: the 10-year Methodological Think Tank case study

A community-centric model for conference co-creation: the world conference on CDG for patients, families and professionals

BACKGROUND

Patient and public co-creation and involvement in health initiatives have been witnessing great expansion in recent years. From healthcare to research settings, collaborative approaches are becoming increasingly prevalent and diverse, especially in the field of rare diseases which faces complex challenges. Conference development and implementation, however, have been primarily guided by passive, information-sharing models. There is a need for conferences to evolve towards more inclusive, interactive, collaborative, and problem-solving platforms. Here, we aimed to report on a pioneer model, emphasizing a community partnership approach to conference co-creation that takes the World Conference on Congenital Glycosylation Disorders (CDG) as an exemplary case.

METHODS

To answer the need to overcome the lack of access to high-quality information which limits CDG diagnosis, research and treatment options, the World CDG Organization has been refining a community-centric model for conference co-creation. Focusing on the 5th edition of the conference, data on stakeholders' preferences was collected using an online survey and a poll to define the conference agenda, guide its development and select optimal dates for an all-stakeholder inclusive, relevant and participatory event.

RESULTS

We describe the complexities of the community-centric conference co-creation model, detailing its refined methodology and the outcomes achieved. The model is grounded on a participative approach to promote people-centered research and care for CDG patients. The involvement of the public in the conference co-creation and in participatory methods allowed the generation of knowledge on community needs and preferences.

CONCLUSION

This paper describes a reliable, highly adaptable conference co-creation model that fosters community-building, disseminates understandable information, and serves as a borderless platform to incentivize multiple stakeholder collaborations towards CDG research and drug development. We argue this is a reproducible model that can be endorsed and more widely adopted by other disease communities and events.

National Study of Nursing Faculty and Administrators' Perceptions of Professional Identity in Nursing

BACKGROUND

Establishing a professional identity in nursing is integral to professional development, yet this area of inquiry remains understudied.

PURPOSE

This segment of a multiphased national study measured nursing faculty's perceived level of importance regarding key components of professional identity in nursing using the newly developed Professional Identity in Nursing Survey (PINS).

METHODS

Fifty subject matter experts from nursing education, practice, and regulation utilized the DeVellis scale development process to develop the PINS over the course of 2 years. Nearly 1200 nurse educators evaluated the importance of a 34-item scale relating to professional identity in nursing.

RESULTS

At endorsement of 95% or greater, 28 items were found to be important components of nursing identity. Effective communication, integrity, and being trustworthy and respectful were reported as most important to nursing identity.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurse educators identified the important items to assess professional identity in nursing. Item refinement and psychometric evaluation of the survey are the next phase of the multiphased study.

Public and patient involvement in needs assessment and social innovation: a people-centred approach to care and research for congenital disorders of glycosylation

BACKGROUND

Public and patient involvement in the design of people-centred care and research is vital for communities whose needs are underserved, as are people with rare diseases. Innovations devised collectively by patients, caregivers, professionals and other members of the public can foster transformative change toward more responsive services and research. However, attempts to involve lay and professional stakeholders in devising community-framed strategies to address the unmet needs of rare diseases are lacking. In this study, we engaged with the community of Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation (CDG) to assess its needs and elicit social innovations to promote people-centred care and research.

METHODS

Drawing on a qualitative study, we conducted three think tanks in France with a total of 48 participants, including patients/family members (n = 18), health care professionals (n = 7), researchers (n = 7) and people combining several of these roles (n = 16). Participants came from 20 countries across five continents. They were selected from the registry of the Second World Conference on CDG through heterogeneity and simple random sampling. Inductive and deductive approaches were employed to conduct interpretational analysis using open, axial and selective coding, and the constant-comparison method to facilitate the emergence of categories and core themes.

RESULTS

The CDG community has unmet needs for information, quality health care, psychosocial support and representation in decision-making concerned with care and research. According to participants, these needs can be addressed through a range of social innovations, including peer-support communities, web-based information resources and a CDG expertise platform.

CONCLUSION

This is one of the few studies to engage lay and professional experts in needs assessment and innovation for CDG at a global level. Implementing the innovations proposed by the CDG community is likely to have ethical, legal and social implications associated with the potential donation of patients' clinical and biological material that need to be assessed and regulated with involvement from all stakeholders. To promote people-centred care for the CDG community, and increase its participation in the governance of care and research, it is necessary to create participatory spaces in which the views of people affected by CDG can be fully expressed.