Supporting quality public and patient engagement in health system organizations: development and usability testing of the Public and Patient Engagement Evaluation Tool

OBJECTIVES: Only rudimentary tools exist to support health system organizations to evaluate their public and patient engagement (PPE) activities. This study responds to this gap by developing a generic evaluation tool for use in a wide range of organizations. METHODS: The evaluation tool was developed through an iterative, collaborative process informed by a review of published and grey literature and with the input of Canadian PPE researchers and practitioners. Over a 3-year period, structured e-mail, telephone and face-to-face exchanges, including a modified Delphi process, were used to produce an evaluation tool that includes core principles of high-quality engagement, expected outcomes for each principle and three unique evaluation questionnaires that were tested and revised with input from 65 end users. RESULTS: The tool is structured around four core principles of 'quality engagement': (i) integrity of design and process; (ii) influence and impact; (iii) participatory culture; and (iv) collaboration and common purpose. Three unique questionnaires were developed to assess each of these four evaluation domains from the following perspectives: (i) those who participate in PPE activities; (ii) those who plan, execute or sponsor PPE activities within organizations; and (iii) those who provide the leadership and capacity for PPE within their organizations. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first known collaboration of researchers and practitioners in the co-design of a comprehensive PPE evaluation tool aimed at three distinct respondent groups and for use in a wide range of health system organization settings.