Amidst evolving outbreak responses, gaps remain in understanding community engagement (CE) in biomedical research. CE and patient/public involvement (PPI) are now essential for ethical research and improving clinical trial outcomes. However, evidence on how CE works and its expected outcomes is limited. The PREVAC-UP Ebola vaccine trial (Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Guinea) integrated CE since 2015, offering unique insights into involving communities in outbreak research.
In 2022, social science and CE teams collaborated to develop a training manual, combining site-specific approaches into a shared framework. This included a Theory of Change (ToC) to illustrate CE processes and mechanisms, such as identifying key actors, fostering dialogue, and creating feedback loops. These mechanisms addressed distrust in post-outbreak contexts to improve vaccine trial recruitment, participant retention, ethical conduct, and trial adaptations. The manual provides practical guidance on implementing CE in vaccine trials, highlighting when, how, and for whom these approaches are effective, offering valuable tools for future research efforts
The manual provides practical guidance on implementing CE in vaccine trials, highlighting when, how, and for whom these approaches are effective, offering valuable tools for future research efforts.
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