Researcher and partner perspectives on the relationship between engagement in research and three uses of patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research study findings.

Background: The uptake of research findings into clinical practice is critical to providing health care that improves health outcomes for patients. This study explored how Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) awardees perceive the relationship between engagement of patients and other partners in research and three uses, or applications, of patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) study findings, which may lead to uptake in clinical practice: (1) Integration into clinical practice guidelines, recognized point-of-care decision tools, or documents that may inform policy; (2) Implementation beyond the study, including at sites outside of the study setting or patient populations; and (3) Active dissemination of findings to specific audiences by parties external to the study team. Methods: This exploratory qualitative study examined awardee and partner perceptions of what led to each use of study findings and how engaged partners contributed. We purposively selected PCORI-funded research projects with documentation of each use and conducted virtual interviews with 42 individuals (15 PIs or project leads, 2 research team members, and 25 partners) from 17 projects. We conducted thematic analysis of individual projects or project sets, across projects within each use case, and across the three uses. Results: Participants described three primary activities in which engaged partners made contributions before, during and after CER studies that facilitated the use of study findings: (1) generating relevant study findings, (2) distributing study findings strategically, and (3) making connections to people or organizations outside the study team. In addition, engagement continued to facilitate the use of study findings during subsequent PCORI-funded implementation and dissemination-specific projects, with partners adapting interventions and creating and tailoring dissemination messages and products. Finally, participants described attributes of teams' engagement approaches that may have supported partner contributions, including early and ongoing engagement, leveraging partners' connections and understanding of community needs, and using multiple engagement approaches. Conclusion: This study identified examples of how engagement can help facilitate the use of CER study findings, especially when engagement contributions occur in meaningful ways. Findings from this study suggest a framework for future research on the relationship between engagement in research and uptake of study findings into clinical practice. Plain English summary: This study looked at how PCORI awardees describe the relationship between engagement in research and three uses of study findings: (1) Citing findings in clinical practice guidelines or other documents that support health policy; (2) Putting findings into practice after the study; and (3) Sharing findings with specific audiences by people not on the study team. We selected PCORI-funded research projects that had signs of each use. Then, we interviewed 42 people, including 15 lead investigators or project leads, 2 research team members, and 25 partners. We summarized findings for each project and then across the three uses. Partners helped move forward each of the three uses of study findings. They helped to plan and conduct the studies, making findings relevant. Partners also helped to plan and then share study findings. They made connections to people and organizations for the use of study findings. In addition, partners helped to put findings into practice after the study and tailored and shared findings in their communities. Finally, the way project teams engaged partners may have supported partner contributions. Project teams had early and ongoing engagement in their study. Partners shared their understanding of community needs and used their connections to share findings. Also, projects often had more than one way to work with partners. Findings from this study highlight ways engagement in research can contribute to use and potentially uptake of study findings in clinical practice. The study also suggests topics for future research on how engagement affects the use of findings. Manuscript Text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]