Optimizing participation in the OECD PaRIS Project: Lessons learned in Saskatchewan

Context: Leading the OECD PaRIS Project in Saskatchewan (SK) was an integrated primary care collaborative team consisting of primary care providers (PCPs), people with lived experience (PWLE) aka patients, health system partners and researchers.

Objective: To describe the recruitment strategies and key lessons from the engagement of PCPs and PWLE that participated in the PaRIS Project in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Study Design and Analysis: A participatory approach to cross-sectional surveys was facilitated through the building and nurturing of relationships based on trust and transparency with all members of the research team. Descriptive and inferential statistics were undertaken.

Setting: Primary care clinics across Saskatchewan.

Population Studied: Eligibility criteria involved PCPs (family physicians and/or nurse practitioners) who facilitated a panel of patients; and PWLE who were 45 years of age or older, with or without a chronic condition, and who had documented appointments with an eligible PCP in the past six months.

Instrument: Survey developed and approved by the OECD-PaRIS Working Group.

Outcome Measures: Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMS) and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS).

Results: Fifty healthcare providers from 10 different practices resulted in 1,324 returned surveys (50 from PCPs; 1,274 from PWLE) within 4-months (July to October 2023). Recruitment success was built on integrating PCPs, as co-researchers, into the process. This relationship-driven approach was facilitated by: attending and participating in events attended by PCPs; invited luncheon meetings re: implementing PaRIS into practice; engaging clinic administrators; recognizing data ownership; creating a feedback loop; and, centering the perspectives of the PWLE in the recruitment/engagement processes. Recruitment opportunities for improvement were: survey length; language complexity; technical complexity; lack of time to build relationships with Indigenous peoples; and, the additional responsibility placed on providers to facilitate recruitment of PWLE.

Conclusions: This study revealed recruitment strategies and insights gained from engaging PCPs and PWLE into the PaRIS Project in Saskatchewan. The results/findings underscore the effectiveness of participatory strategies in engaging/recruiting participants for PREMS and PROMS, highlighting the importance of early engagement, fostering trusting relationships, and acknowledging data ownership.