4. Lesson 1 Key concepts & definitions

4.5. Lesson 1b Assumptions & misconceptions

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

Assumptions:

  • Patients and the public bring a different, complementary kind of expertise to a research team.
  • Patient and public involvement results in research that is more relevant to the needs of patients.
  • 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 as participants or interviewing patients as part of a study is involving them.
  • Healthcare researchers have all the necessary knowledge and expertise for a clinical trial without involving patients.
  • Patients can be placed on a Trial Steering Committee without any preparation/training and treated the same as any other committee member