Integrating tuberculosis research with public health infrastructure: Lessons on community engagement from Orizaba, Mexico

Gates Open Research

article

Renaud F. Boulanger¹  Lourdes García-García²  Letitia Ferreyra-Reyes²  Sergio Canizales-Quintero²  Manuel Palacios-Martínez²  Alfredo Ponce-de-Leon³  James V. Lavery⁴ 

[1] Centre for Applied Ethics, McGill University Health Centre, McGill University;Centre for Research on Infectious Disease, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública;Consorcio de Investigación Sobre VIH/SIDA/TB, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion;Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health and Center for Ethics, Emory University

关键词: Tuberculosis;    community engagement;    community health workers;    public health;    community participation;    qualitative research;    research ethics;   

DOI  :  10.12688/gatesopenres.13058.1

学科分类：电子与电气工程

来源: American Journal Of Pharmtech Research

【 摘 要 】

Background: The Orizaba Health Region, in Veracruz, Mexico, has hosted the research programme of the Consorcio Mexicano contra la Tuberculosis since 1995. Methods: The objective of this retrospective case study conducted in 2009 was to describe and explain the evolution and outcomes of the stakeholder and community engagement activities of the Consorcio. Recorded interviews and focus groups were coded to identify major themes related to the success of stakeholder and community engagement activities. Results: The Consorcio successfully managed to embed its research program into the local public health infrastructure. This integration was possible because the core research team tailored its engagement strategy to the local context, while focusing on a large spectrum of stakeholders with various positions of authority and responsibility. The overall engagement strategy can be described as a three-pronged endeavor: building a “coalition” with local authorities, nurturing “camaraderie” with community health workers, and striving to be “present” in the lives of community members and participants. Conclusions: The Consorcio’s efforts teach valuable lessons on how to approach stakeholder and community engagement in tuberculosis (TB) research, particularly in developing countries. Furthermore, the health outcomes reveal stakeholder and community engagement as a potentially under-tapped tool to promote disease control.

【 授权许可】

CC BY