An innovative paper recently published Thursday, February 04, 2021 A paper has recently been published in Current Oncology outlining the incorporation of patient engagement in the development of clinical trial at the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG). Integrating Patient Centred Research in the Canadian Cancer Trials Group; Needham J, Taylor J, Nomikos D. Curr Oncol 28: 630-9, 2021. https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/28/1/62/htm “CCTG recognized the value of having the voice of patients throughout the development of the trial itself,” says Judy Needham, lead author and Chair of the Patient Representatives Committee. “Working with CCTG Leadership and the Patient Representative Committee we developed and adopted an approach to engage patients at a collaborative level with very positive results.” Understanding how patient engagement provides value along the research to patient-care continuum and how to best engage patients as partners are key. CCTG successfully implemented a model that reflects a collaborative level of engagement that has had qualitative, tangible benefits and results. The CCTG Patient Representative model provides a unique opportunity for other organizations who are considering needed patient engagement in their research efforts. "We are excited to share the hard work and experience of the CCTG Patient Representatives Committee and hope this will help to inform meaningful patient engagement in other organizations," concludes James Taylor, Senior Investigator at CCTG.
