Complexities in interdisciplinary community engagement projects

Some reflections and lessons from an applied drama and theatre project in diabetes care

Bibliographic Data

ID12692180
AuthorsJennifer Watermeyer (0000-0001-7918-8832, University of the Witwatersrand, corresponding author), Victoria Hume (0000-0002-1436-0686, University of the Witwatersrand), Tshegofatso Seabi (0000-0003-2222-5246, University of the Witwatersrand), Rhona Nattra (0000-0002-9596-5088, University of the Witwatersrand)
Year2021
Volume47
Issue4
Pages485-495
Publication date2021-05-14
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedical Humanities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1468-215X • E-ISSN: 1473-4265
PublisherBMJ (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1136/medhum-2019-011822
PMID33990417
OpenAlexW3163481621
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited44

There is a growing interest in using drama techniques and theatrical performance to disseminate health information to lay audiences as part of community engagement projects. This process can be challenging for a number of reasons, however. In this paper, we describe the process and pitfalls of an interdisciplinary project involving the development and performance of a play about diabetes mellitus. The play formed part of a long-term, three-way community engagement project between social science, applied drama and a diabetes clinic in South Africa. Building on a framework derived from a number of applied drama methods, we elicited narratives from key 'storytellers' that were developed and embodied by actors in a new performance called Blood Sugars Creating this play provided insight into working in an interdisciplinary space and highlighted the importance of establishing shared goals and joint ownership of the project right from the outset. This was without doubt a challenging project and the complexities of finding common ground across three disciplines are not to be underestimated. In this paper, we explore the collaboration and its challenges, drawing on the framework of complexity theory. In particular, we examine the layers of complexity that emerged as a result of the interdisciplinary nature of the project and the demands of balancing the authenticity of the stories with the perceived requirements of health messaging. We consider the methodological, conceptual and ethical challenges of this type of research, and discuss some recommendations for teams taking on similar complex multidisciplinary research and intervention projects

Community engagement · Dissemination · Drama · Drama therapy · Embodied cognition · Engineering ethics · Knowledge management · Multidisciplinary approach · Narrative · Political science · Process (computing · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Visual arts · Computer Science · Engineering · Health Policy Implementation Science · Mental Health and Patient Involvement · Participatory Visual Research Methods