is a core principle that underpins meaningful participation and collaboration. It involves fostering open, respectful, and impactful exchanges across all interactions, ensuring that diverse perspectives are heard, valued, and integrated into research processes. Communication takes place through multiple channels — in-person conferences, virtual working group meetings, educational sessions, newsletters, websites, social media, and e-learning modules — creating a robust framework where collaborators can share expertise and insights. This multi-channel approach strengthens transparency, builds trust, and helps shape high-quality, relevant research.
Example
An illustration of OMERACT’s commitment to effective communication is the Patient Research Partner (PRP) Support Team initiative leading up to OMERACT 16 (2023). This initiative worked with the Management Group to develop a framework that enhanced PRP engagement and measured its impact. Before the conference, PRPs collaborated with researchers in virtual meetings, surveys, and open dialogues to identify critical discussion topics. At the conference, PRPs led a plenary session highlighting the importance of patient involvement and sharing both challenges and successes in engagement. The insights from this session informed specific post-conference strategies and tools to deepen PRP integration across working groups, demonstrating how systematic communication strengthens patient-centered research at OMERACT