Designing Research With a Veteran Research Engagement Panel

Background: While community engagement is an evidence-based strategy, less is known about how longstanding community engagement panels are used in practice, and how their input is incorporated by researchers. Objective: To describe the types of consultations requested from a community engagement panel comprised of veterans and veteran caregivers, the research stages at which consultation was sought, and the ways investigators reported using panel feedback. Methods: We conducted a retrospective descriptive content analysis of administrative documents from 52 panel consultations completed between 2017 and 2022 at a VA health systems research center. Data sources included consultation requests, structured meeting notes, and 6 or 12-month follow-up reports, when available. We classified each consultation by research phase and characterized the focus of recommendations. Results: Most consultations occurred during study development (52%), followed by intervention delivery (23%). Fewer consultations focused primarily on outreach, outcomes, or dissemination. No consultations centered on enrollment/consent or data analysis/interpretation. Panel recommendations most often addressed communication, project focus and goals, tailoring to Veteran preferences, barriers to participation, and study material accessibility. In 12 projects with follow-up reports, investigators described VetREP feedback as relevant, specific, and action-oriented. Investigators reported using panel feedback to revise materials, refine protocols, strengthen grant applications, and inform subsequent projects. Conclusions: Our longstanding Veteran engagement panel most often informed research during study development and intervention planning. These findings support longstanding panels that consult across multiple studies as a practical consultation mechanism for improving patient-centeredness in research design. Our study also highlights gaps in later-stage patient engagement and the need for more systematic documentation of engagement impacts over time to advance engagement science.