Creating Together, sponsored by the Ontario Mental Health and Addictions Knowledge Exchange Network (OMHAKEN), in partnership with fifteen provincial organizations, collaboratively developed a mental health and addictions research agenda by engaging stakeholders of research in the agenda-setting process. This is an important aspect of knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) that supports research uptake.
Six provincial consultations and an online survey were conducted. Participation rates were high and the process had representation from many stakeholder groups.
The top six research domains that emerged from the Creating Together process were:
- The Social Determinants of Health
- Risk and Resilience
- Stigma and Discrimination
- Continuity of Care
- Health Promotion and Prevention
- Vulnerable Populations
It was broadly agreed that further investment in effective KTE methods is needed to ensure that all mental health and addictions stakeholders, including persons with lived experience and their family members, are engaged in research activities and receive research results promptly. Results should be communicated in ways that are accessible, tailored to the needs of stakeholders, and be presented in user-friendly formats and language.
The success of the Creating Together process will largely be measured by the degree to which the findings are put into action. To that end, the seven Creating Together Co-Sponsors have committed to using the findings to inform some aspect of their research activities (e.g., the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario included the six research domains as specific areas of interest in its recently released 2011 Call for Research Proposals).
See “Creating Together: Co-Creating a Mental Health and Addictions Research Agenda for Ontario,” March 2011, available in the “CREATING TOGETHER’ section of the OMHAKEN website at www.ehealthontario.ca, or at www.creatingtogether.net.
For more information about OMHAKEN, please contact Keri West at keri_west@camh.net.