Evaluation of research co-design in health: a systematic overview of reviews and development of a framework

Abstract

Background: Co-design with consumers and healthcare professionals is widely used in applied health research. While this approach appears to be ethically the right thing to do, a rigorous evaluation of its process and impact is frequently missing. Evaluation of research co-design is important to identify areas of improvement in the methods and processes, as well as to determine whether research co-design leads to better outcomes. We aimed to build on current literature to develop a framework to assist researchers with the evaluation of co-design processes and impacts. Methods: A multifaceted, iterative approach, including three steps, was undertaken to develop a Co-design Evaluation Framework..