The opportunity we are trying to address with these activities:
Building on a seven-year partnership, the Christie Lab and the Victoria Brain Injury Society (VBIS) will use the Engage grant to co-develop a patient-oriented research agenda for older adults with acquired brain injury (ABI).
Format, venue, and duration of activities:
Over four months, we will employ a modified Delphi technique at VBIS to generate consensus-driven list on actionable research priorities. The activities consist of:
1. Knowledge Mobilization Presentations: Accredited experts will be invited to deliver two 1.5-hour community presentations for VBIS and its client base on key topics, such as exercise and nutrition, for healthy brain aging and brain injury rehabilitation. These presentations will be delivered at VBIS to ensure accessibility for all those interested and will provide a general knowledge base for individuals who partake in the Delphi exercise.
2. The modified Delphi exercise: We will hold four 2-hours meetings at VBIS. Meeting 1 will define the project scope and generate a broad list of research interests related to older adults, brain health, and brain injury. Meeting 2 will be the initial round of the Delphi exercise. Participants will rate preliminary research topics and have the opportunity to suggest additional topics to be considered. Meetings 3 and 4 will be used to iteratively rank, shortlist, and refine items until a final consensus on top-ranked research priorities is achieved. Researchers will analyze and aggregate data between rounds.
3. Engagement evaluation: To optimize patient-partner engagement, we will administer the Public and Patient Engagement Evaluation Tool (PPEET) after each meeting to identify and address any participation barriers to optimize patient engagement throughout the meetings.
Description of activity participants:
The community presentations will be free and open to all VBIS members and the broader Victoria ABI community. The modified Delphi exercise will comprise a dedicated 10-member steering group of older adults with lived ABI experience, VBIS staff, and researchers.
Anticipated outcomes of these activities:
The anticipated outcomes are two-fold:
1) immediate mobilization of current evidence-based brain health knowledge to the local ABI community, and
2) a list of actionable, community-driven research priorities to anchor future patient-oriented research initiatives.
Additional team members and participating organizations:
Dr. Isla Shill, School of Medical Sciences
Dr. Jodie Gawryluk, Institute for Aging and Lifelong Health