A key question for researchers is ‘What will involvement do for me?’
Benefits of involving public contributors include the stimulation of new ideas through conversations with people with lived experience, challenging assumptions and helping researchers identify potential problems in study design.
The following resources support researchers who want to include PPIEP in their research:
- The article, “Innovating public engagement and patient involvement through strategic collaboration and practice”, explores the benefits of working collaboratively in PPIEP
- The NIHR’s webpage, “Briefing notes for researchers – public involvement in NHS, health and social care research”, provides guidance for researchers news to public involvement
- These guidelines “Ethical Practice Guidelines for Public Involvement and Community Engagement”, created by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria, supports researchers, public contributors and anyone interested in health and care research to work towards ethically sound research practice.
Our PPIEP activity includes:
- Regularly gathering input from stakeholders including patients, healthcare professionals and industry partners to ensure the project remains responsive to their needs and perspectives
- Learning from others, nationally and internationally
- Co-producing research with patients, the public and their families, alongside clinicians, researchers and industry, involving everyone early and throughout
- Ensuring that those underrepresented in research, at most risk of mental ill health, and those from seldom heard and inclusion health groups are involved equitably
- Recompensing people for their involvement, publishing openly with ‘plain English’ versions, and recognising all contributors
- Coordinating all PPIEP across the workstreams and demonstrator sites, connecting activities across the MH-TRC infrastructure.
We are committed to an inclusivity framework that emphasises:
- Engaging with a diverse range of patient groups, ensuring representation from various cultural, socio-economic, and age demographics
- Training for staff and researchers on cultural sensitivity and unconscious bias to promote inclusive practices
- Developing materials and communication strategies that are accessible and respectful of different cultural backgrounds and literacy levels
- Active engagement with community leaders and advocacy groups
- Understanding the unique needs and preferences of different cultural groups
- Facilitating outreach efforts and building trust within diverse communities
- Ensuring that the project’s interventions and communications are culturally appropriate and effective.
