What are the resourcing requirements for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary healthcare research project?

Abstract

Objective and importance
To explore the role of resourcing during an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary healthcare research project.

Study type
Process evaluation using grounded theory approaches of a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research project (N=500) named Getting it Right: The validation study.

Methods
Qualitative semi-structured interviews with thirty-six primary healthcare staff and four community members from nine of ten primary healthcare services (participating services) involved in the research project. Interviews included questions about the resources needed to conduct the research project, including flexible reimbursement to participating services (allocated within services), human resources and reimbursement to research participants (vouchers). Qualitative data were triangulated with participant feedback (questions about the aPHQ-9 [depression screening tool under examination] and free-text feedback collected during the research project), study administrative data (budgets, contracts, communication logs and ethics correspondence) and field notes kept by the interviewer.

Results
Three themes were identified: 1) the influence of reimbursement on participating services and the research project: 2) the influence of human resources on the research project at participating services; and 3) the consequences of offering vouchers to reimburse research participants. Reimbursement was allocated to research expenses (human resources and logistics) or non-research expenses (service operations, equipment and conference attendance costs). Most services opted to offer vouchers to compensate participants for their time, which staff considered was appropriate recognition of participants’ contributions and facilitated recruitment. Some staff described some potential unintended negative consequences from vouchers, including creating a welfare mentality or the wrong precedent.

Conclusion
Primary healthcare research should have sufficient resourcing available, including human resource capacity, to achieve research targets. Research planning should include consideration of the existing commitments, priorities and human capacity needs of services and patients.