I have little experience in involving community stakeholders in formative research, but if I would start formative research I would certainly involve them. Start with some internet and literature searching and than find community stakeholders, and start talking to them and from there learn and expand the list of community stakeholders who are relevant for my research. ask them about local issues, how to best approach potential study volunteers, how to reimburse them within the legal framework, other expectations, the list is endless. Formative research is were it start and cannot be done without community stakeholders.
In our HIV clinical vaccine trials most of the time we use well experienced sites, who have already done the formative research and have mapped out everything, at least that is what I expect from them. I don’t see myself going to an area and set up a get together with local stakeholders, not that I don’t want to. So please let me know what sites and other stakeholders expect from the sponsor (except budget).
Now we go to a site or network and ask them if the study is feasible and how many subjects the site can recruit and in how many months. Everything else is done by the site. I really would like to be involved more but don’t know how (not yet).
