Collaborating with Consumer and Community Representatives in Health and Medical Research in Australia: Results from an Evaluation

In health and medical research, consumer participation is considered morally and ethically correct practice . It supports the advancement of accountable, open and democratic involvement of citizens in publicly funded research. Consumers are reported to make an important contribution to the quality of health and medical research through their experiential expertise that complements the expertise of researchers, by providing unique and broader community perspectives, and drawing attention to issues of which researchers may not be aware.

In the practical undertaking of health and medical research, consumers may contribute to all aspects of research including recruitment of research participants, improving information that is provided to participants, aiding the dissemination and implementation of results, improving the uptake of research findings, providing legitimacy for research, and encouraging greater understanding of research in the community . Consumer participation in health and medical research is often a policy directive and a requirement of funding organisations but should not only be practised for these reasons. Rather, it is an essential component of good research practice. The authors of this paper are Janet M. Payne, Heather A. D'Antoine, Kathryn E. France, Anne E. McKenzie, Nadine Henley, Anne E. Bartu, Elizabeth J. Elliott and Carol Bower.