I would say that everyone on our research team has at least basic knowledge of GPP; however, I think that some members of the team are mistaking GCP and GPP for one another and focusing more on GCP. Even in doing so, the importance of stakeholder involvement and engagement should be recognized and taken into consideration, but I do not think this is always the case with every member of our research team.
As a program coordinator for recruitment and community education, I can say that, although the depth of our understanding may vary, both our other recruiter and I are more aware of the intrinsic value of GPP than our PIs, Nurse Coordinators, and administrative staff. This is because we sometimes find it difficult to convey changes that may be necessary in order to better facilitate those who are potential trial volunteers, current trial volunteers, or even those who just drop in to find out what it is that we do. Often times, the feedback revolves around some staff members feeling like our suggestions will take too much time or resources, or that we’re just plain trying to do too much to make participants feel comfortable, but not around the importance of why we are making the suggestion and how it relates to the principles of GPP. This also leads me to believe that the majority of our team thinks that GPP is only up to recruitment/community education. I believe that our administrative staff probably have the least amount of understanding of the value of GPP because they do not work with participants or community members directly.
I’m hoping that, by the end of this course, I will have learned more about how to implement a strong stakeholder plan that will convey the importance of GPP to both my team members and our community.
