xxUnit I OLDxx

What are the proposed benefits of involving people in research?

It is claimed that patient and public involvement improves the quality, relevance and impact of research. These are some of the proposed benefits:

• It ensures research is relevant to the needs of patients and society
• It improves study design
• It improves recruitment and retention
• It improves communication between researchers and participants and between researchers and the public

Assumptions and misconceptions. 

There are some tensions in the patient and public involvement field. 

Assumptions:

• Patients and the public bring a different kind of expertise to a research team
• The patient/lay viewpoint will be welcomed by researchers
• Patients want to become involved in this way
• PPI is a moral imperative
• Patients/the public assume that research leads to better health care (of course, we hope it does, but it may not be as rapid as they expect)

Misconceptions:

• Recruiting patients or interviewing patients as part of a study is involving them

Healthcare researchers have all the necessary expertise for a clinical trial without involving patients.