Beyond Transactional Relationships in Community-Based Participatory Healthcare Research

Abstract

Community-based public health and pharmaceutical clinical trial research often depend on transactional relationships, where researchers and participants exchange insights, data, and benefits. These exchanges shape trust, engagement, and ethical dynamics. However, while barriers to clinical trial participation and community engagement have been widely explored, the transactional essence of these interactions has limited academic discourse in existing literature. Effective management of transactional relationships is critical for advancing pharmaceutical research, particularly in drug absorption and metabolism, pharmacokinetics and dynamics, drug delivery systems, drug targeting, and nanotechnology. These fields rely on diverse participant inclusion to produce generalizable and representative data. For instance, equitable transactional dynamics enable researchers to gather essential insights into how genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors affect drug metabolism, promoting advancements in personalized medicine. Building trust through transparent communication, which involves open and honest dialogue about the research process and its potential outcomes, encourages participant compliance, enhancing the reliability of data on drug behavior. Collaborative engagement also supports refining drug delivery systems and nanotechnology applications, ensuring that these innovations address real-world needs while mitigating risks and ethical concerns. This dynamic underscores the importance of cultural sensitivity in fostering trust and collaboration. By respecting and understanding diverse cultural backgrounds, researchers can build stronger relationships with participants, enhancing the quality and reliability of the data. By framing research interactions as transactional, this perspective expands public health research’s theoretical and practical understanding. This academic conversation fills a significant research void. It underscores the necessity of balancing power, fostering reciprocity, and respecting boundaries to enhance ethical and inclusive practices in clinical trials. This approach advances equitable, reflective practices prioritizing ethical transparency and collaborative engagement in community-based public health and pharmaceutical innovation.

Keywords

• participatory research
• community-based public health research
• clinical trials
• transactional relationships in research
• ethics in health research
• research engagement science
• helicopter research