There has been a growing emphasis on consumer representation in the development of health policy, services, research, and education. Existing literature has critiqued how discourses of representativeness can disempower consumers working in health systems. The context of the current study is consumer engagement in the development of COVID-19 triage policy and practice in a local health service. Consumer engagement has often been an afterthought in the COVID response, with few examples of consumers in agenda-setting or decision-making roles. In the Australian Capital Territory, 26 consumer, carer, and community groups worked together with academics and clinicians to develop these principles. Interviews were conducted with stakeholders (including consumers, clinicians, and other health professionals) to evaluate the development of triage principles. A discursive psychological approach to analysis was used to explore participants’ understandings about and constructions of consumers being
Although community engagement is now a widely accepted part of universities’ agenda, the evidence of learning environments that allow students to gain new knowledge and skills through authentic partnership and reciprocity with community members remains sporadic. Guided by educational and community engagement scholarship, the study examined the involvement of community members in social work simulations at an Australian university. Based on reflexive thematic analysis of focus groups and interviews with community members and university staff who participated in social work simulations, four qualities of practice learning were identified: (1) the value of lived experience and expertise; (2) the importance of preparation for professional practice; (3) dedication of time and resources; and (4) guided by the impacts for community members. Taking a critical perspective, community-engaged teaching recognizes and values the communal aspects of knowing and learning, understood through an exam
Abstract There has been a shift in the use of patient educators in higher education healthcare teaching, including in mental health nursing. This article