Journal Article

Achieving Research Impact Through Co-creation in Community-Based Health Services: Literature Review and Case Study

GREENHALGH, TRISHA, JANAMIAN, TINA, JACKSON, CLAIRE, SHAW, SARA

2016

Overview

Context: Co-creation—collaborative knowledge generation by academics working alongside other stakeholders—reflects a \"Mode 2\" relationship (knowledge production rather than knowledge translation) between universities and society. Co-creation is widely believed to increase research impact. Methods: We undertook a narrative review of different models of co-creation relevant to community-based health services. We contrasted their diverse disciplinary roots and highlighted their common philosophical assumptions, principles of success, and explanations for failures. We applied these to an empirical case study of a community-based research-service partnership led by the Centre of Research Excellence in Quality and Safety in Integrated Primary-Secondary Care at the University of Queensland, Australia. Findings: Co-creation emerged independently in several fields, including business studies (\"value co-creation\"), design science (\"experience-based co-design\"), computer science (\"technology co-design\"), and community development (\"participatory research\"). These diverse models share some common features, which were also evident in the case study. Key success principles included (1) a systems perspective (assuming emergence, local adaptation, and nonlinearity); (2) the framing of research as a creative enterprise with human experience at its core; and (3) an emphasis on process (the framing of the program, the nature of relationships, and governance and facilitation arrangements, especially the style of leadership and how conflict is managed). In both the literature review and the case study, co-creation \"failures\" could often be tracked back to abandoning (or never adopting) these principles. All co-creation models made strong claims for significant and sustainable societal impacts as a result of the adaptive and developmental research process; these were illustrated in the case study. Conclusions: Co-creation models have high potential for societal impact but depend critically on key success principles. To capture the nonlinear chains of causation in the co-creation pathway, impact metrics must reflect the dynamic nature and complex interdependencies of health research systems and address processes as well as outcomes.

• Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Ltd,Milbank Memorial Fund,John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subject: Academic staff / Adaptive systems / Beacons / Case studies / Causality / Causation / co-creation / Co-design / Collaboration / Colleges & universities / Community development / Community health care / Community Health Services - organization & administration / Community Health Services - standards / Community involvement / Community participation / Community relations / Community research / Community service / Community services / Community-Based Participatory Research - organization & administration / Community-Based Participatory Research - standards / Community-based programs / Computer science / Conflict / Design / Experience / Facilitation / Failure / Frame analysis / Framing / Governance / Health / Health care policy / Health research / health research systems / Health services / Humans / Interest groups / Ivory / Knowledge / Knowledge management / knowledge production / Leadership / Leadership style / Literary criticism / Literature reviews / Medical research / Modeling / Models, Organizational / Nonlinear / Nonlinear systems / Nonlinearity / Organizational Case Studies / Original Investigation / Original Investigations / Participatory design / Participatory research / Partnerships / Primary health care / Production / Queensland / Research design / Research universities / Reviews / Safety / Science and technology / Service provision / Stakeholders / Success / Technology / Translation / Transportation safety / Type 2 diabetes mellitus / Universities