TY  - JOUR
AU  - Mallakin, Maryam
AU  - Langley, Joe
AU  - Harvey, Gillian
AU  - Walker, Sarah
AU  - Raber, Caylee
AU  - Beyzaei, Nadia
AU  - Paczka Giorgi, Luz A
AU  - Holyoke, Paul
AU  - Sellen, Kate
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/7/17
TI  - Recovery and Renewal of Co-Design Approaches in Health: Protocol for a Realist Synthesis
JO  - JMIR Res Protoc
SP  - e58318
VL  - 13
KW  - participatory design
KW  - co-design
KW  - realist synthesis
KW  - equity, diversity, and inclusion
KW  - EDI
KW  - community of practice
KW  - online co-design
KW  - virtual platform
KW  - internet research ethics
KW  - health communication
KW  - health design
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - virtual health
KW  - digital health
AB  - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly transformed the landscape of work and collaboration, impacting design research methodologies and techniques. Co-design approaches have been both negatively and positively affected by the pandemic, prompting a need to investigate and understand the extent of these impacts, changes, and adaptations, specifically in the health sector. Despite the challenges that the pandemic imposed on conducting co-design and related projects, it also encouraged a re-evaluation of co-design practices, leading to innovative solutions and techniques. Designers and researchers have explored alternative ways to engage stakeholders and end users, leveraging digital workshops and participatory digital platforms. These adaptations have the potential to enhance inclusivity, allowing for a wider range of individuals to contribute their perspectives and insights through co-design and thus contribute to healthcare change. Objective: This study aims to explore the impacts of the pandemic on co-design and related practices, focusing on co-design practices in healthcare that have been gained, adapted, or enhanced, with a specific focus on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Methods: The study uses a realist synthesis methodology to identify and analyze the effects of the pandemic on co-design approaches in health, drawing on a range of sources including first-person experiences, gray literature, and academic literature. A community of practice in co-design in health will be engaged to support this process. Results: By examining the experiences and insights of professionals, practitioners, and communities who were actively involved in co-design and have navigated the challenges and opportunities of the pandemic, we can gain a deeper understanding of the strategies, tools, and techniques that have facilitated effective co-design during the pandemic, contributing to building resilience and capacity in co-design in health beyond the pandemic. Conclusions: By involving community partners, community of practice (research), and design practitioners, we expect closer proximity to practice with capacity building occurring through the realist process, thus enabling rapid adoption and refinement of new techniques or insights that emerge. Ultimately, this research will contribute to the advancement of co-design methodologies and inform the future of co-design in health. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/58318 
SN  - 1929-0748
UR  - https://www.researchprotocols.org/2024/1/e58318
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/58318
DO  - 10.2196/58318
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/58318
ER  -