Valuing contributions – Mona

 

Patients in Mona’s research felt recognized but didn’t always want remuneration

Transcript

Interviewer: And were you able to remunerate the patients that you worked with as partners, was that ever an issue?

We did offer them honorariums for sure and too it was told to me several times that that kind of payment was not necessary, it was told to me by the patients. And we had to insist with some patients that they take this token of our appreciation.

Interviewer: And do you think that’s common elsewhere, where people would be willing to do that on a voluntary basis?

I think it depends on how rich the process is for them. Because when we were sitting down with the patients, whether it be with the advisory, whether it be with the individual focus groups, we were always cognizant of letting them know that we could not do the project without them, that it was from their ideas and their perspectives that we were going to develop something. And also the fact that we validated the development and the intervention with them before we moved forward with any other step, I think was enriching for them. So I think they were very aware of the value that they brought to the project and I think that’s probably why they felt they didn’t necessarily need that remuneration.


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