Developing interventions through partnership with community members

Abstract

Interventions are increasingly being co-produced in partnership with people from the communities who will use them. This can help to ensure interventions are appropriate for and valued by these communities. This article describes how our research team has implemented the methods and tools of the widely used Person-Based Approach to integrate co-production into the heart of our intervention development. We describe a series of case studies and consider how traditional engagement approaches may be complemented with approaches that better suit the needs and preferences of those from underserved communities. We consider the benefits and limitations of each co-production approach and propose a range of tools (e.g. table of changes, planning table, guiding principles) to support co-production. We conclude by highlighting that collaborating with intervention users requires flexibility in engagement efforts to facilitate meaningful partnerships at all stages of intervention development. We also advocate working with community partners to agree on an approach that supports both research requirements and reflects their needs and preferences.