Answer

Your local health trust or board may have a patient group you can approach. Find out if there is already a database of people with diabetes who have expressed an interest in advising on research. If there is, that would be your first option – send them an email invitation. Ask diabetes clinicians to inform people they see clinically. Then, you can approach diabetes charities, voluntary organisations and support groups and ask them to contact their members on your behalf. You could advertise on a website, on social media and on traditional media such as newspapers and radio. You could put up posters in a hospital or GP surgery. Advertise on the People in Research website. If you particularly need the views of a section of society, such as teenagers or older people, you need to seek them out, for example through charities, community groups, or health workers who specialise in the field. And you might have other creative ideas!

Last modified: Wednesday, 4 March 2015, 3:44 PM