Partnerships between researchers and patients are becoming increasingly central to health research in Canada. These partnerships seek to integrate the perspectives of patients, those most affected by health research findings, throughout the research process. When these partnerships are undertaken effectively, we expect to improve the impact of research projects on health systems and target patient populations. To gain these benefits, however, these partnerships should be of good quality. In this talk, Dr. Hamilton highlights recent progress made in understanding how to measure the quality of patient engagement on research projects.

Learning objectives

• Understand the rationale for measuring the quality of patient engagement
• Identify components of good quality engagement
• Identify tools to measure the quality of patient engagement

Dr. Hamilton is a Health System Impact Fellowship at the BC Ministry of Health and the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on developing the knowledge-base and tools to support patient, family caregiver, and public engagement in health system decision-making and in research. His work utilizes both qualitative and quantitative research methods. He has a rich interdisciplinary academic background, having earned a PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Measure and Methods) at the University of Western Ontario. He also completed a 3-year MSFHR-funded postdoctoral fellowship in Health Services and Knowledge Translation at the University of British Columbia and Arthritis Research Canada.