Advancing Community-Engaged Research Methods: A Qualitative Study of Men Who Have Sex With Men Community Contributions to a Chinese HIV Stigma Study

Community engagement is a key principle to guide HIV prevention work with marginalized communities, including men who have sex with men (MSM). In a recent study, we measured HIV stigma, and homophobia in China employed MSM to work as standardized patients (SP) and to conduct unannounced visits with consenting doctors to observe and report on enacted health care stigma. This qualitative substudy reports on the experiences of MSM who took part as SPs in this novel study through a community engagement lens. Interviewees were SPs employed in the parent study and took part in two rounds of in-depth interviews to describe their experiences before and after the SP experience. A social-ecological model informed the interviews and data analysis. First, the study experience imparted to SPs a sense of personal empowerment and community connection. Second, SP trainings and clinic visits provided SPs with new knowledge on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and provider-patient communication, prompting conversations about sexual health with peers in their personal lives. Last, most SPs reported relatively high satisfaction with the quality of care received by providers. Findings suggest that an SP study provided opportunities for a novel form of engagement for the MSM community. Our data also have implications in China for designing HIV stigma interventions for MSM, engaging MSM within research studies, and tailoring sexual health services for MSM. Our findings underscore the need for more regular and ongoing engagement of the MSM community in the conduct of HIV research that affects their community. Clinical Impact Statement<br /> Our unique approach provided novel opportunities to collaborate closely with community members. Many SPs noted the satisfaction from taking part in HIV-related research as a team member rather than a passive study subject. In-depth interviews with SPs both before and after their work experience were therefore conducted to document an important instance of genuine research-community partnership. We feel that lessons from our experience can serve as guidance in the many ways a researcher can weave more authentic forms of community engagement into their research.