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ABSTRACT

Objectives: to identify and help to resolve problems experienced by nurses and others undertaking research to improve the health of black and minority ethnic (BME) communities in London.
Methods: Action Learning Sets (structured group sessions in which individuals present challenges to the group without interruption. Group members then facilitate problem-solving by asking questions and suggesting alternative perspectives).
Results: Anxieties about the researchers' own majority 'outsider' status were common: power imbalances between researcher and research subject, issues of trust, and limited cultural competence. Many of the problems raised were not resolvable during the set meetings. Many BME groups are marginalised, and therefore much more likely to be 'hard to reach', a fact that poses problems for health services wishing to improve access and responsiveness as well as to researchers. For some it was already too late to address the difficulties of recruiting BME subjects to studies, as final deadlines were close. Some potential research subjects are willing to take part in research but unwilling to sign research governance documentation because of anxieties about their legal status. It is desirable for researchers to build and sustain relationships with relevant BME communities and leaders, in order to identify research questions that are prioities for, and will encourage the engagement of, communities themselves. However, this strategy is not usually open to post-graduate students, who have limited time to develop and deliver their research, and the same is often true of researchers carrying out commissioned work with tight deadlines.
Conclusions: The structures and processes of both academic and commissioned health care research appear to be at odds with good practice in BME research. In this situation, action learning sets can offer support to researchers who encounter difficulties, but cannot provide robust solutions. Systems-level solutions need to be found to assist small-scale BME health research projects.

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