Integrating Qualitative Data Into Learning Health Systems: A Pilot Project With Engaged Student Researchers
Tracey Carr, Taylor Spock, Candace Skrapek, Kelly Heinemann, Margaret King, Brenda Andreas, Christine Stobart, Cathy Cole, Christopher Plishka, Caitlin Ward, Tina Zheng, Gerald Farthing, Carson SquairABSTRACT
Background
Healthcare Education and Research Training (HEART) is an engaged learning initiative that supported undergraduate students in acquiring and applying healthcare research skills over the course of an academic year. The project was offered through a Saskatchewan, Canada‐based university in conjunction with provincial health system and patient‐oriented research organizations. Designed to serve a dual aim, this pilot project provided undergraduate students with meaningful healthcare research skills while sharing qualitative data from underserved communities with health system partners in an effort to advance a more person‐centered Learning Health System in Saskatchewan.
Methods
Upper‐year undergraduate students were recruited through various pathways. Over 14 weeks, the project ran in two phases: research training in Term 1 and collecting patient‐reported experience data in Term 2.
Results
Twenty‐eight undergraduate students from differing academic backgrounds completed training in key concepts of research ethics, privacy, confidentiality, and other essential preparation for engaging in patient‐ and community‐oriented healthcare research. Students conducted 35 telephone interviews with health system users regarding care experiences and facilitated four focus groups with new mothers across diverse community settings. Following data collection, students completed thematic analysis and developed knowledge translation outputs, including reports that were shared with health system partners to inform system learning and quality improvement.
Conclusion
This pilot project demonstrated a feasible, mutually beneficial strategy for embedding qualitative data into a Learning Health System cycle by using supervised undergraduate student researchers to collect, synthesize, and translate findings into actionable outputs. HEART generated timely, equity‐relevant insights to inform decision‐making and potential practice change for health system partners while simultaneously building foundational competencies for future healthcare researchers and care providers.