[MUSIC] I think the main challenges are getting sufficient engagement into research projects from the public and patients. It can often be a challenge trying to engage with certain groups of people, for example, those suffering from health inequalities, ethnic minorities, young people. Often, if people are working during the day, getting back home late in the evening, they may find it very difficult to engage in different research projects. >> Yeah, the challenges of participatory approaches, I'll say one of them is that the time, it needs a lot of investment in terms of time. You, as a person leading a project, and the people you're working with, should be ready to meet the community, and organize meetings, understand the context, and all that requires a lot of time. Two, as researchers, sometimes we think that we know so much about the community already, so we don't need involve them, we know what they're faced with, their problems, and I think that is wrong. >> Well, I think there are a number of challenges in participatory approaches. Some teams maybe keener than others on the idea. Although, most who actually experience it become quite excited by the possibilities and inclined to repeat it. And it's a challenge to work together effectively, especially for the first time for people who haven't done this before. And good communication, and good teamwork, the ability to listen to each other, to learn from each other, and to appreciate each other's perspectives are vital. But each each research study is is different, and there is probably no one-size-fits-all that's satisfactory for that, so it's a matter of negotiation, good communication is key. >> For me, I think the main challenge of participatory approaches, especially in my experience, I think that is having the correct infrastructure and funds available to do it properly. Because often, that isn't there, and so it becomes more of a box ticking exercise. >> I think there are a number of challenges with participatory approaches. A lot of the researchers seem to think that it isn't relevant. Also, some of them don't have a lot of support in their workplace for using participatory approaches. Other particular challenges might be well, a personal challenge to me is just really keeping up with it all. And ensuring that there is diversity in the group, so that everybody isn't my age, my gender, and my color, making it a really diverse mixed group will bring much more to the research project. >> I think one of the biggest challenges are the researchers are not aware about participatory approach. These are not being taught in the academic years, or even when they when they take up an employment. It's not something that they question that they would be asked about participatory approach. So this is something that's been thrown into their career now, even though participatory approach has been there for over 20 years, it's not something that they are aware of it. And so, secondly, is also finding the right candidate to get involved in the participatory approach. So there could be challenges like, where do I find them, who are right candidate, the time that they need to find these candidates. And also, obviously, there's going to be questions around how do I communicate with this candidate? Do they know how to engage? So those are the kind of challenges. The other one is also, as I mentioned, time, also resources, the funding, how do we support these candidates that we have recruited? How do we pay them? And so, yeah, the finances would be another challenge. Another challenge is also, until we get this as a business as usual, we are going to find the challenge of participatory approach always going to be there. So it's very important for the higher level, the management level, to have it embedded into their career, that participatory approach is something that is not a one-off thing, but it's a thing that has to take place every day. [MUSIC]
