Description
- Abstract:
- Importance: Community engagement is increasingly seen as an important part of improving the health of communities. As such, there have been calls for healthcare organizations to engage their communities in shaping the care they provide. Objective: This qualitative study sought to explore drivers, activities, challenges, and areas of opportunity for improved community engagement from the perspective of healthcare leaders at an organization focused on reproductive health care. Design, Setting, and Participants: This qualitative study used semistructured in-depth individual interviews. Eligibility for inclusion were employees in middle management through executive leadership at a healthcare organization operating a major teaching hospital and outpatient clinics, as well as employees at its parent organization and other entities partnering with the parent organization. Eligible employees were identified via position title, their position level according to employee organization charts, and reputational case sampling with eligibility verification. Results: Twenty-two interviews were conducted. Interviewees discussed how health disparities and national movements around equity drove community engagement efforts. Efforts were most organized within departments led by the organization’s Director of Patient Experience and the parent organization’s Chief Diversity Officer. Many efforts were discussed, ranging from outreach to community advisory boards. Challenges abounded, including the impact of historical injustices, cultural differences between the community and medical system, and poor organizational structures and resources. Interviewees offered a range of solutions, including instituting organizational commitments, continuing to foster community partnerships, and supporting social determinants of health (SDOH) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Conclusion and Relevance: Drivers and challenges for community engagement closely aligned with what has been reported in prior studies and by experts working in and writing about community engagement. Some activities and solutions discussed were DEI and SDOH initiatives, and interviewees often did not clarify if and how community input was involved in these. Additionally, many activities and solutions gave limited decision-making power to the community, which may be due to misunderstandings of what meaningful community engagement entails and/or organizational and cultural constraints. Further clarification around how community voice is integrated into efforts, as well as increased organizational support and education around engaging communities are needed.
- Notes:
- Thesis (Sc. M.)--Brown University, 2026
Citation
Carrillo, Mikaela Renee,
"Shaping Health Services through Community Engagement: A Qualitative Study with Leaders at a Local Healthcare Organization for Reproductive Health"
(2026).
Biology and Medicine Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:88umsybu/
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Collection:
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Biology and Medicine Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations for the Biology and Medicine department....