Page 55 - The lraternational Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand.indd

The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand
Volume XV-2023

Engaging with the authorities at various levels (from central to the village level),
having a collaborative relationships with various partners have been identified as
essential elements of effective community engagement (Adhikari et al, 2017; Lavery
et al, 2010) and has been one of the major drivers of success behind research conducted
in Cambodia by MORU (Peto et al, 2018a; Peto et al, 2018b). Secondly, while retaining
authority support and collaboration through pre-established relationships are highly

valuable, they are equally fragile and dependent on the health of the relationship,
meaning how such relationships are groomed over the years is critical (Adhikari et al,
2019; Kaehler et al, 2019). MORU’s partnership and relationship with CNM are thus
continuously building, and dynamic and are also predicated on agenda for research
and implementation (Adhikari et al, 2017; Peto et al, 2018a). New research, and context

such as brought by pandemic therefore are likely to affect the collaboration, that’s when
flexibility becomes an important jewel to keep the relationships and collaboration
‘living’ for both sides (Adhikari et al, 2017; Vincent et al, 2022). MORU’s researchers
have been flexible with the collaborators including adapting and accommodating
the suggestions by CNM and other partners such as funders, and the ground staff
(Peto et al, 2018a; Peto et al, 2018b). Flexibility of MORU and the partners remains to
be a major element for the success of research in Cambodia.

Thirdly, during the pandemic, despite desire to conduct the research as stated

by the protocol, particularly as outlined in the plan (timeline), researchers adapted
the research by coping through the delays, administrative hurdles, restrictions, and
logistic disruptions. The flexibility to accommodate the pandemic and conduct research
based on the feasibility was a major lesson that allowed the success of research
in Cambodia (Adhikari et al, 2022b; Peto et al, 2018b). In regard to operationalities
of research, specifically tailoring the research based on the evolution of social and

cultural context (sometimes through formative research) has been implicated as one
of the major elements of effective community engagement for research implementation
(Adhikari et al, 2017). Also, during the pandemic, because of the restrictions, more
and more digital resources were utilized, reducing the face-to-face interactions.
For instance, size of the face-to-face meetings were reduced at the cost of increasing

the frequency of meetings in roll out radical cure community-based research project
(Adhikari et al, 2022b; Adhikari et al, 2023). While digitalization of health care is already
a flourishing success in the west, inclination towards the use of digital resources
in LMICs has become a new norm and perhaps more and more technologies will be
adopted in health care in the future (Adhikari et al, 2023; Mitchell & Kan, 2019). MORU
similarly, utilized meetings and coordination through digital technologies even in

the remote villages as and when possible because of pandemic and is believed to
have supported the continuation of ongoing research (Thriemer, 2023).

Dysoley Lek et al. 47