Curtin Involve

FAQs

Who are consumers and community members?

All of us, really! The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) defines consumers as patients or potential patients, carers and people who use health care services. Some examples of what this might look like in everyday life include; someone receiving treatment for cancer in a hospital, someone who cares for a parent living with dementia, someone who uses a psychology service to manage anxiety, or someone who is getting a prescription of antibiotics at the pharmacy.

A community is a group of people who share a common interest – that could be a cultural, social, political, health, economic interest, or a common location. Examples include Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander communities, and the LGBTQI+ community.

What is consumer and community involvement?

Consumer and community involvement (often referred to as ‘CCI’) in health research refers to the active partnership between researchers and those affected by, or who may benefit from, the research. It’s about research that is conducted with or by consumers and community members rather than to, for or about them.

Why is involvement important?

It is becoming increasingly accepted that consumers and community members add value to health and medical research, and that they have a right and responsibility to do so.
There are many benefits to both the community and researchers including:

Research being conducted that is relevant to community needs, as it is informed by consumer and community perspectives and lived experiences
Community awareness, understanding and support for health and medical research
More effective translation of research to deliver improved health outcomes

What does involvement look like?

Involvement activities will vary depending on the research project, and we work with researchers to develop the most appropriate involvement strategy. Activities could include:

Providing advice on involvement plans in grant applications

Reviewing plain language summaries

Being a Consumer Representative on a research team

Being a member of a Community Advisory Group

Sharing or presenting research findings

The involvement opportunities we list will describe in detail what is required from those who wish to be involved.

Will I be a part of a research experiment?

Who can be involved?

How will I be supported?

We offer training for consumers and community members to ensure you feel comfortable and confident in your role. Our team is also available to discuss any concerns or queries you might have, and can be contacted at any time.

We strongly advocate for payment of honorariums, and most involvement activities will offer remuneration for out-of-pocket expenses such as transport and parking.

What is the time commitment of being involved?

I’m a researcher at Curtin University. When should I consider CCI in my project?

We believe all health research projects should include CCI, and the earlier you start the better!

We support all researchers within the Faculty of Health Science at Curtin University and we can work with you to develop a CCI strategy, connect you with appropriate consumers and community members, and support the CCI activities. Contact us to find out more.

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Curtin Involve

About us

Current involvement opportunities

FAQs

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Curtin Involve

About us

Current involvement opportunities

FAQs

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