Working with
osteoarthritis consumers as co-researchers – co-designing translational
research solutions and busting osteoarthritis myths
Researchers often try to determine solutions to health problems without involving people with lived experience. We worked with osteoarthritis consumers in partnership as ‘co-researchers’ using co-design workshops to identify barriers to best-practice conservative management and suggested solutions. Co-researchers also identified the most important osteoarthritis myths that reduce engagement with best-practice management including exercise/physical activity. We are now creating educational ‘myth-busting’ resources (e.g., videos) with the co-researchers through continued co-design.
Presented by:
Dr Felicity Braithwaite is an early-career postdoctoral fellow with the prestigious Body in Mind research group, University of South Australia. She completed her PhD in 2018 and her Bachelor of Physiotherapy (with Honours) in 2014. She is passionate about using rigorous methodology to enhance the quality of clinical research and ultimately, the evidence-base for pain treatments. Her PhD work on improving blinding in clinical trials for complex pain treatments has been highly influential in the pain field. Her research has been presented at >30 national and international conferences and professional events (17 invited) and published in 22 peer-reviewed articles in top-quality journals. She is currently Lead Trial Coordinator of a multisite clinical trial investigating education and exercise for knee osteoarthritis. In 2020 she was awarded a $150,000 research translation fellowship (Chief Investigator – John Stuart Colville Fellowship, Arthritis Foundation of South Australia) to lead her own line of osteoarthritis research, in which she aims to improve the lives of people with chronic pain through strong partnerships with consumers.