Equity and inclusivity in research: co-creation of a digital platform with representatives of marginalized populations to enhance the involvement in research of people with limited literacy skills

Abstract

Plain English Summary People with limited literacy skills are often excluded from health research. Engaging patients and community members with limited literacy in research requires tailored approaches and methods that have been tried and tested with them. In 2017, building on an existing partnership between researchers well-versed in using participatory visual and sound methods and community partners, we undertook the co-creation of a digital platform. Our aim was to empower both academic researchers and community researchers and partners (lay persons, clinicians, stakeholders, community organizations) to engage in research projects with people with limited literacy skills. The result was a digital platform ( http://www.engageplus.com ) comprising several modules and resources available in French and English and accessible on the Web. In this commentary, we share our experience in co-creating this digital platform and discuss the facilitators and challenges encountered.

Keywords

• Patient and public involvement
• Literacy
• Co-creation
• Equity in research
• Visual methods
• Popular education