‘Building bridges’: reflections and recommendations for co-producing health research

Co-produced research occurs when a range of people, including researchers and people with lived experience of a topic work together on all stages of a piece of research, from design to publication, to improve understanding of a topic.

This methodology has become increasingly popular in the field of health research, however – it can be difficult to undertake because of how health institutions are structured.

As a team, we examined three co-produced studies (focusing on HIV, mental health, and disability research) to share our insights and reflections.

We then shared these reflections through a co-designed online workshop at a conference.

We used the metaphor of ‘building bridges’ to describe our teamwork.

From our experiences on these studies, we came up with five key suggestions for co-production in research: (1) be kind, have fun and learn from each other; (2) share power as much as possible with everyone; (3) connect with people you know and those you don’t; (4) stay connected; (5) use clear and simple language.

To achieve ethical and impactful co-produced research, we suggest that it needs more funding, resources, and flexibility.

Teams who are conducting co-produced research must be fair and clear about how they do so, and ensure that everyone, especially groups who are often unheard, get a chance to be part of research so that everyone’s skills and experiences are equally considered.

Background Co-produced research is when all stakeholders, including experts by experience and researchers, work together to conceptualise, design, deliver and disseminate research to enhance understanding and knowledge.

This type of participatory inquiry is being increasingly used across health research; however, it continues to be a complex area to navigate given existing institutional structures.

Main body We collaborated across three independent co-produced research studies to share insights, reflections, and knowledge of our work in the fields of HIV, mental health, and disability research.

We co-designed and delivered a three-hour online workshop at a conference to share these reflections using the metaphor of ‘building bridges’ to describe our co-production journey.

We generated key principles of co-production from our different experiences working in each individual research project as well as together across the three projects.

Our principles are to: (1) be kind, have fun and learn from each other; (2) share power (as much as you can with people); (3) connect with people you know and don’t know; (4) remain connected; and (5) use clear and simple language.

Conclusion We recommend that co-produced research needs additional funding, resource, and flexibility to remain impactful and ethical.

Co-produced research teams need to be mindful of traditional power structures and ensure that the process is transparent, fair, and ethical.

Addressing equality, diversity, and inclusion of traditionally underrepresented groups in research is essential as are the skills, expertise, and experiences of all members of the co-production team.