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Co-creation

Prevention & empowerment

Guideline Development for Underserved Populations

A practical guide for conducting co-creation research with individuals experiencing communicative and/or cognitive challenges.

A practical guide for conducting co-creation research with individuals experiencing communicative and/or cognitive challenges.
Co-creation research with underserved individuals and groups plays a crucial role in reducing inequalities in healthcare. It requires an intensive participatory approach where end users are actively involved in every aspect of the research, aiming for sustainable change. This type of research focuses on jointly developing knowledge and solutions with and by people in underserved situations, placing their lived experiences at the forefront.

Date

From until

The practical guide we are developing provides researchers with concrete tools for the data collection phase in co-creation processes with individuals experiencing communicative and/or cognitive challenges. It addresses challenges such as heterogeneity in focus groups and socially desirable responses. This approach supports the active involvement of underserved groups as participants, with the long-term goal of empowering them to take the lead in every facet of the research.
This aligns with the principle of "nothing about us without us", which emphasizes that real change can only happen when the voices of the target group are heard and integrated throughout the research process.

The Need for a Practical Guide

There is significant variation in how co-creation research with underserved populations is conducted, making it challenging for researchers to adopt a consistent and effective approach. Currently, there is no practical guide that compiles the appropriate methodology for this type of research. This often results in longer onboarding times and difficulties for researchers starting co-creation projects. A practical guide would help them choose the right approaches, overcome barriers, and actively engage the target population from the outset. This is not only essential for the quality of the research but also enhances the societal impact for the underserved groups themselves.

Working Together on Co-Creation

This project focuses on developing a practical guide for co-creation research with underserved populations, specifically targeting short-term data collection. Based on (international) literature reviews, we will identify barriers and opportunities for data collection methods within co-creation research involving underserved populations. These insights will then be tested and validated in ongoing research projects at Thomas More. Initially, these projects will also delineate the target group: communicative and/or cognitive challenges.

The guide assists researchers in recognizing and overcoming challenges while leveraging opportunities when working with underserved groups. An expert advisory group, including individuals with lived experiences of being underserved, will co-creatively review and improve the guide. This ensures the creation of a robust, evidence-based tool that supports researchers step-by-step in the data collection process.
 

From Participant to Leader

In the long term, the guide can be expanded to cover all phases of co-creation research, enabling individuals who experience challenges to not only participate but also take active and leading roles. Additionally, we will develop training for researchers, policymakers, and organizations to enhance their understanding of co-creation research.

Our researchers

Researcher

Liesbet Van Bos

Liesbet Van Bos is a researcher in the People and Well-being Research Group, research line Prevention and empowerment. Her focus is currently on co-creative research.

Researcher

Marlon van Loo

Marlon Van Loo is a researcher in the People and Well-being Research Group, research line Prevention and empowerment.

Researcher

Wendy D'haenens

Wendy D'haenens (PhD) has been a lecturer-researcher in the People and Well-being research group since 2016. She is an expert in subjective and objective evaluation of hearing, (classroom) acoustics and ICF (WHO) applications within speech therapy