Community Advisory Board Members’ Perspectives Regarding Opportunities and Challenges of Research Collaboration

This case study examines the perspectives of rural community advisory board (CAB) members regarding the opportunities and challenges of partnering with academic investigators on funded research. We used a sequential exploratory design to evaluate the phenomena. Qualitative and quantitative data from CAB members were integrated to gain better understanding. Results showed that CAB members valued professional networking and gaining new evidence-based knowledge to enhance their professional practices. They identified rurality, the academic research process, and fulfilling research roles as the most significant challenges. CAB members also believed that strong community-based leaders had been essential in promoting and sustaining a shared vision for evidence-based research solutions to their community problem. Self-evaluation is essential for effective CAB research partnerships, and nurse researchers can strengthen these collaborations by (a) providing continuing education on research and evidence-based practices, (b) assuring that perceived benefits of CAB participation outweigh perceived challenges, and (c) supporting community-based leadership.