Principles of practice for academic/practice/community research partnerships.
BACKGROUND
Researchers and practitioners are increasingly realizing that improvements in public health require changes in individual, social, and economic factors. Concurrent with this renewed awareness there has been a growing interest in working with communities to create healthful changes through academic/practice/community research partnerships. However, this type of research presents different challenges and requires different skills than traditional research projects. The development of a set of principles of practice for these types of research projects can assist researchers in developing, implementing, and evaluating their partnerships and their project activities.


OBJECTIVE
This paper describes the different ways in which academics and community groups may work together, including academic/practice/community partnerships. Several principles of practice for engaging in these research partnerships are presented followed by a description of how these principles have been put into operation in a family violence prevention program.


CONCLUSIONS
The principles presented are: (1) identify the best processes/model to be used based on the nature of the issue and the intended outcome; (2) acknowledge the difference between community input and active community involvement; (3) develop relationships based on mutual trust and respect; (4) acknowledge and honor different partner's "agendas"; (5) consider multi-disciplinary approaches; (6) use evaluation strategies that are consistent with the overall approach taken in the academic/practice/community partnership; and (7) be aware of partnership maturation and associated transition periods. The limitations of these principles and their application in various settings are discussed.
Baker
E A
EA
Saint Louis University, Department of Community Health, MO 63108, USA.
Homan
S
S
Schonhoff
R
R
Kreuter
M
M
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control; D018672:Community Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008910:Minnesota; D011315:Preventive Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015980:Public Health Practice