Linking research to end users through community engagement: an umbrella review

Introduction Investigation of effective modes of community engagement remains an important topic in research yet is often overlooked. Studies focusing on how to move beyond a tokenistic involvement of community members into one with true collaboration remain spread across a broad range of disciplines.Objective This umbrella review aims to bring together existing systematic reviews to highlight best practice related to community engagement in research.Method The Health Research Literature Explorer (PCORI), PubMed, and Google Scholar were searched. Studies published in English since 1990 on any aspect of end-user engagement in research were considered. A total of 23 articles met the inclusion criteria and withstood quality appraisal using the Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal checklist.Results Our findings indicate no conclusive evidence on which type of community engagement is most effective. Rather, we found engagement activities varied depending on the type and stages of the study.Conclusion Hence, the need for innovative approaches to measure the impact of community engagement was stressed in the review. However, it was possible to narrow the gap between research and implementation by adhering to cultural context, community concern, and attitudes.Recommendation Thus, research in general should underpin robust community engagement activities to gain better outcomes.