Meaningful and deep community engagement efforts for pragmatic research and beyond: engaging with an immigrant/racialised community on equitable access to care
Abstract
In this article, we reflect on a comprehensive community-engaged research approach that we undertook to identify the barriers to equitable primary care access among a South Asian (Bangladeshi) immigrant community in Canada. This article summarised the experience of our programme of research and describes our understanding of community-engaged research among an immigrant/racialised community that meaningfully interacts with the community.
Notes
Community organizations: Bangladesh Canada Association of Calgary (BCAOC)
Future research / gaps identified: The researchers are expanding to explore community engagement with the Latino/a/x, Arab, Southeast Asian, and Black communities to understand their barriers to healthcare access
Integration timeline: not defined
Key findings:
- Building community partnerships through community engagement best followed a process of understanding, communicating, involving and then collaborating.
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Principles of meaningful community engagement include:
- Focus on capacity building
- Community service with no strings attached
- Listening with a blank slate
- Not missing the mass population
- No “parachute in and parachute out” approach
- Compensate for contributions
Key populations: Bangladeshi immigrants who now live in Calgary, AB
Key recommendations:
- Mobilize a community through two-way knowledge translation, working from engagement to partnership.
- Develop community capacity to add to the community engagement and co-development process.
Location: Calgary, AB
Open access: No
