PPI Unit I 2015

What is patient and public involvement in research?

INVOLVE defines it as “research being carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them”.  It might include: involving people in determining research priorities for a particular condition; members of the public being co-applicants on a research grant; advising on study materials; contributing to data collection, analysis and reports.

What is the difference between a ‘patient’ and a ‘member of the public’?

Usually, if you want to involve someone with a particular health condition, they will be referred to as a patient, but members of the public can provide a generic lay perspective on research. Family members of people with a particular illness or parents may also have valuable perspectives.

What is public engagement?

Public engagement is about communicating what we do to the public. This might include our research findings, explaining the value of a study for health and getting people interested in science. It is related to, and overlaps with, patient and public involvement – people who understand the benefits of research are more likely to want to be involved. We will return to the topic of public engagement in week 7 in more detail.

Illustrative examples of these topics will be discussed.