Starting a culture of consumer engagement early
Professor Frederic Hollande has led a workshop connecting honours students and health consumers, which aims to embed the importance of engaging with the community to address current and future patient needs.
The concept of consumer engagement involves researchers collaborating with health consumers to ensure that their research is informed by the patient experience, creating a critical link between researchers and end-users.
Researchers are known to experience difficulty building rapport with consumers further into their career. Engaging with students at this early stage provides them with the skills they need to work with consumers and ensure their research has impact.