Toolkit for enhancing the participation of rural and coastal communities in health and social care research

Background. Rural and coastal communities are underrepresented in health and social care research.  This can impact the quality of the research by reducing the generalizability of findings and/or by limiting  the“strength” of theresearch methods being used byresearchers. Theresult of this is twofold. Firstly, there  is limited understanding of health and social care as it operates in rural settings and, secondly, research  conclusions give anincomplete picture of theentire population. It isalso unfair, from anequity perspective,  that groups traditionally underserved by research continue to be excluded from studies because of where  they live. A Toolkit for Increasing theParticipation ofRural and Coastal Communities in Health and Social Care  Research has recently been developed under the leadership and collaboration of a multidisciplinary group  of researchers, stakeholders, and residents from avariety ofbackgrounds. It includes those who live, work,  volunteer and undertake health and care research with rural and coastal communities. Objectives. Thepresentation introduces theToolkit, funded bythe National Institute for Health and Social  Care Research (UK, East Midlands Clinical Research Network). If focuses on the rationale for the toolkit,  the 7 guidelines developed and its real-world applications. The guidance is intended for use at different  stages of research and evaluation, including: Before and during public/stakeholder engagement; informing  collaborative research design; and shaping studies formatively as they develop in real time. Finally, they  provide asummative tool toreflect oncompleted studies, topromote learning that can be applied tofuture  engagement, funding bids, Continuing Professional Development, and inform future studies. Methodology. Hayden Bird, theco-facilitator and one of theauthors of theToolkit for Increasing thePartici?pation ofRural and Coastal Communities in Health and Social Care Research will seek toreflect onengagement  and collaboration with diverse stakeholders and communities. This project involved arapid evidence review,  conducting focus groups and interviews, developing case study vignettes and a workshop to refine and  develop guidance content. Hayden is currently a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the Lincoln Institute  for Rural and Coastal Research, ateam of researchers dedicated tobringing together rural and coastal health  and wellbeing research to help understand and tackle the place-based inequalities experienced in these  communities. Results. Thereasons for theongoing exclusion of rural and coastal communities are multifaceted. Thelit?erature tells us it is likely due to difficulties with travel time and/or communication technology, compara?tively higher costs of involving rural and distanced residents, cultural aversions, and values and concerns  about privacy in small communities. This toolkit shows that there are other more nuanced barriers, but  also potentially more effective ways of including residents of isolated communities that can only be known  byengaging directly with them. Inthis respect, inequities experienced inaccessing services are somewhat  mirrored in the challenges of engaging these communities in research. There are practical and emotional  implications for both those undertaking research and those who are included asparticipants. Oral presentation/Research project (Session OC 2) #18 Toolkit for enhancing the participation of rural and  coastal communities in health and social care research Hayden Bird1 , Mark Gussy1 , David Nelson1 , Ava Harding-Bell1 , Ashhad Farooqui2 , Ffion Curtis3 1 Lincoln Institute for Rural and Coastal Health, University of Lincoln, UK 2 General Practitioner and Honorary Professor, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Chair Leicester City CCG, UK 3 Lecturer in Evidence Synthesis, Liverpool Reviews and Implementation Group (LRiG) University of Liverpool, UK Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine, ISSN 1899–5276 (print), ISSN 2451–2680 (online) Adv Clin Exp Med. 2024;33(Special Issue 1) 26 Copyright Copyright by Author(s) This is an article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) Conclusions. Despite being home to significant national assets including health-supporting blue and  green spaces rural and coastal communities are disproportionately vulnerable to deprivation, economic  shock, climate change, higher disease burdens, and inequalities in health and wellbeing outcomes. Rural  populations, small seaside towns, and sparse settings are generally less ethnically diverse and have higher  proportions ofolder people. Access tohealth services and hospitals is more challenging inrural areas with  reduced services, poor transport infrastructure, and consequently greater cost incurred byresidents. Although  theCOVID-19 pandemic reaffirmed theimportance ofaccess totimely health, care, and wellbeing services,  the impact on access to services and wider social determinants of poorer health remains omnipresent.  TheToolkit highlights amore lateral and inclusive approach toappreciating Equalities, Diversities and Inclusion  indeveloping both approaches toresearch and service delivery. One that explores diversities of experience  that are shaped byplace-based characteristics and often complex interactions