QUESTION: What makes a good methods working group? ANSWER: Passion, Partnership, People

Introduction

It can be hard to be a methodologist working in evidence-based healthcare – and not only because most of your friends and/or family won’t understand what it is you do! The breadth of the methods involved in evidence synthesis, guideline development and implementation is enormous, connecting a range of disciplines and scientific fields (including behavioural, information, communication and health sciences) and utilisation of methods ranging from qualitative approaches through to advanced statistics. This diversity makes it impossible (and undesirable) for any individual, group or organisation to try to tackle methodological challenges alone.

When starting off as wide-eyed and junior researcher at JBI many (many) years ago, I had no idea how I could ever possibly contribute to the evolving methodological development in our field. However, I was shortly lucky enough to be invited to join formal JBI methods groups, where (mainly) likeminded people came together to produce guidance for our collaboration. I quickly came to realise that methods evaluation and development work requires many people from diverse fields and career stages. By engaging with clinicians, researchers, methodologist and other stakeholders, together we have been able to develop and test new guidance and provide a (very small) contribution to hopefully advance science.

In later years I have been lucky enough to be included in a number of methodological working groups, including as part of the Guidelines International Network, the GRADE Working Group and many others. As much as I would like to say otherwise - ?and if I am being forced to be truly honest - not all of these working groups have been successful, or at least not functioned as well as others. As World EBHC spins around again (especially with the theme of Partnerships for Purpose), I think it is as good a time as any to discuss the power of partnerships for methods development. As such, the purpose of this blog is provide some (unsubstantiated) musings on what makes a good methods working group, along with providing advice to those clinicians, researchers and junior academics who might be interested in joining such groups.

What does a methodological group need to be successful?

Some of the methods groups I have been involved in have been lucky enough to make a substantial impact in the field and maintained continuous high output (NB: shout out to the JBI Scoping Review Network), whilst others haven’t been as successful. Upon reflection, I’ve come up with what I would like to propose are some of the key ingredients for any methodological group to be successful. These are:

1.??????Passion

Passion, curiosity, inquisitiveness and genuine interest are key to any successful methodological group. The group needs to genuinely be interested and show care for what they are developing, otherwise other priorities or excuses will easily take over. Hearing you have been accepted into a methods groups should bring a smile to your face – not a groan! In the most successful methods groups I have been involved with, the membership consists of those who genuinely want to be there, who do not see the work as burdensome or a chore - in fact, many may even see it as fun. Passion and genuine interest in a topic can you get you a long way, even in the absence of funds and resources.

2.??????Resources

Although passion can drive and motivate a group, passion backed with resources is a powerful facilitator for success! The resources could come in different shapes or forms, such as having PhD students investigating the field, funding to enable dedicated time to researchers, administrative support through organisations or groups or funds to support in person or online meetings.

3.??????Time

Although we have seen the emergence and popularity of rapid reviews, I am yet to see methodological working group be described as ‘rapid’ – in fact, glacial may be a better description for most of these groups! This is (of course) not necessarily a bad thing, as developing methods does (and should) take time to ensure any potential guidance is robust and rigorous. When you consider the potential impact and uptake of methods guidance, the last thing you want to do as a group is rush the work and miss potential flaws in any outputs. Many methods groups I have been involved with have been multiyear projects, which provides enough time to bring the people, resources and issues together and truly develop guidance that addresses all of the issues.

4.??????Diversity

As highlighted earlier, in the field of evidence-based healthcare, it is so incredibly important to have people collaborating together from diverse fields, differing backgrounds and career stages.?I’d recommend all working groups to consider equity, diversity and inclusion in their terms of reference and if noticing issues in these areas, to take steps to improve it. There are huge benefits to having diverse voices at the table when it comes to methods development.

5.??????Focus, goals and leadership

As fantastic as it is to have passionate people all discussing a topic together, without some sort of focus, goal or project to channel their enthusiasm, momentum can quickly burn out. Having a clear agenda and tasks in mind, along with concrete projects and goals to achieve, can provide a fantastic conduit for the group’s energy. Once a project is completed or a milestone achieved, it can be inspiring and motivating for the group to continue with further efforts. Leaders (often the chair or co-chairs of the group) are key here to ensure progress and continued focus on the group’s main objectives.

6.??????Support

Similar to resources, organisational support can also contribute to a group’s success, particularly when it comes to the uptake of the outputs of the group. For example, to have guidance endorsed by groups such as GRADE, JBI, GIN or Cochrane (and others) will go a long way to the eventual uptake and implementation of the work.

Advice for those interested

From someone who has been fortunate enough to be a part of numerous groups over the years, I also have some (yet to be corroborated) titbits of advice which may be useful for those wishing to join such initiatives. These include:

1.??????Go out of your comfort zone

When I first heard about the Guidelines International Network (GIN) many years ago, I had a somewhat distorted view of the organisation, picturing GIN as this powerful conglomerate of standoffish experts who provided recommendations in guideline development in a closed group fashion. However, after attending my first GIN event in Melbourne I was taken aback by the warm welcome I received and the collaborative and inclusive nature of all those working as a part of GIN. It truly is a network open to all who are passionate about guideline development and it was surreal to be exposed and welcomed by a group of individuals with similar interests to myself. Since then I have learnt an incredible amount from my colleagues within GIN and the various working groups and received much benefit both professionally and personally. I would never have had these benefits or opportunities with any of the groups I am involved with if I didn’t go out of my comfort zone at some stage.

2.??????You get what you put in

Sometimes on these methods groups there are many silent observers. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as many people join these groups as a learning opportunity and to keep abreast of developments in the field. However, if you really want to get something out of a group, the old adage remains true – ‘you get out what you put in.’ Like any group, the more engaged you are the more you benefit, and I would encourage you to become actively engaged so you too can reap the benefits of participating in this work. In practical terms, this means making an effort to respond to emails, speak up in meetings, provide feedback on outputs, volunteer to lead or contribute to projects, ask questions and remain engaged.

3.??????Reach out and sign up

It might seem daunting to actually become involved in some of these groups. In response to that, I say all you can do is ask! Reach out to group leads and introduce yourself, and also let the leads know why you are interested and what you can contribute. Additionally, sign up and join member lists or networks, so that you can learn about some of these opportunities and meet new people in the field.

4.??????Keep learning

I think the commitment to being a lifelong learner is good advice for anyone no matter what your position or role. In terms of methods groups, a commitment to learn more about the topic, to challenge your own assumptions (along with others) and to build your knowledge is critical to any group’s success but also for an individual member of the group and their contribution. When joining a group, make sure you invest the time to become familiar with previous work in the field, make sure you understand the basic (continuing on to the advanced) concepts in the area, and commit to further reading and development.

Conclusion and Disclaimer

These are my completely unsystematic reflections and cherry picked advice. These points should certainly not be considered level 1 evidence or findings with high certainty! However, I do hope they have helped promote some reflection and discussion – and would be interested to hear your thoughts. So – what do you think? What have I missed?

Finally and in conclusion - happy world EBHC day! Hopefully, as the day becomes increasingly well known around the globe, we will continue to see great advances in the methodology for this field. Additionally, with its increasing popularity, perhaps there will come a day when it won’t be so uncommon for friends and family to not be confused about what an EBHC methodologist actually does!