Supporting the engagement of people with lived experience and family members in mental health research: A SPOR consultation

Engaging people with lived experience (PWLE) of mental health challenges and family members (/F) in research is guided at CIHR by the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR). PWLE/F-engaged work has many benefits, but it is a complex process that requires support and guidance. This Planning & Dissemination project follows up on our knowledge dissemination projects by consulting with PWLE/F and SPOR researchers to identify tools and resources available to and needed by research teams and PWLE/F engaged in mental health research. We will consult with Canadian SPOR researchers, research staff, and PWLE/F involved in engaged research about the tools and resources that they use and that they still need to improve their engagement practices. We will synthesize the findings of a pre-consultation survey and consultation events. This project will be conducted with PWLE/F engagement throughout. It will lead to tailored knowledge products to transfer the findings to SPOR research communities and PWLE/F. It will also lead to future funding applications to co-design fulsome toolkits to support the SPOR mental health research community. This pragmatic, solutions-oriented project will provide an important planning step forward in the science of engagement by planning for the development of high-impact, creative tools and resources to support SPOR researchers and PWLE/F in engaged research.