We try to have an overview of a trial. The overview of a trial will help to identify an appropriate stakeholder at each stage or phase of a trial. The assessment is done through various ways, such as mapping, focus groups, interviews and conversations with key informants and of course, consultations with the CAB. At each phase of a study trial there are always stakeholders who will be more important than others depending on the agenda of a trial, objectives and goals which can result to power and influence imbalances during a research trial process. To bring about success , we do find an appropriate mechanism to synergize.
After stakeholder selection is done, in my case we usually have meetings separately to avoid confusion or misunderstanding among different classes of categories of stakeholders. The groups may be categorized as follows for example we can have MSM Led organizations/MSM Friendly organizations, Human Rights groups /Research Advocacy groups/ media groups and finally the (CAB)
The aim of this arrangement is to introduce the study to all the identified stakeholders first and then then come down to who will be directly involved through out the implementation of the study.
We should agree that depending on a phase and agenda of a trial, other stakeholders may be more relevant than the other. This also means that their engagement may be different from other identified stakeholders to another depending on their knowledge, influence, and regard in the general stakeholders community and also their will to take part in the specified trial.
