Publications by year
2020
Cockcroft EJ, Britten N, Long L, Liabo K (2020). How is knowledge shared in Public involvement? a qualitative study of involvement in a health technology assessment. Health Expectations, 23(2), 348-357.
Liabo K, Boddy K, Bortoli S, Irvine J, Boult H, Fredlund M, Joseph N, Bjornstad G, Morris C (2020). Public involvement in health research: what does ‘good’ look like in practice?.
Research Involvement and Engagement,
6(1).
Abstract:
Public involvement in health research: what does ‘good’ look like in practice?
. Plain English summary
. Background
. Patient and public involvement means researchers working with members of the public, patients or carers to jointly plan and carry out research.
. Aim
. This article is written by members of three involvement groups, and the university employees that they work with. We wanted to jointly reflect on what enables our collaborative work, and what the challenges are for everyone involved.
. What we did and how we did it
. We wanted to establish what the literature defines as ‘good’ public involvement and compare this with processes and practices in our involvement groups. We therefore carried out a literature review and each group met separately to discuss what characterises good involvement, and what the challenges are. From these discussions we developed a set of descriptions about each group. We compared the literature review findings with what came out of the discussions within the involvement groups.
. Findings
. Some of the involvement principles from the literature were similar to the priorities of the involvement groups. In addition, the groups identified characteristics of ‘good’ involvement practice that were not reported in the literature: passion and enthusiasm, informal and welcoming meeting spaces, and opportunities to share lived experiences. In this article we present examples of how principles for good involvement are practiced in these groups, and difficulties we have experienced.
.
. Abstract
. Background
. Patient and public involvement is important for producing relevant and accessible health research. Evidence of impact from involvement is growing, but there is also a need for research on how to create conditions for meaningful collaborations between researchers and public advisers.
. Objective
. We report on a co-produced self-reflective evaluation of involvement practices in three UK research programmes.
. Methods
. A structured review identified research-based principles for ‘good’ public involvement in research. In parallel, members of three involvement groups co-developed statements on how the groups work, and enablers and challenges to collaborative research. The author team analysed these statements using the findings from the review.
. Results
. We identified 11 international articles reporting research-based principles for involvement published between 2013 and 2017. We identified five ‘values’ and seven ‘practice principles’ for ‘good’ involvement. There was convergence between these principles and the priorities of the involvement groups. But the groups also identified additional good involvement practice that were not reported by the literature: passion, enthusiasm, informal and welcoming meeting spaces, and opportunities to share lived experiences. We present examples of how principles for good involvement are practiced in these groups, and highlight principles that have been challenging to implement.
. Conclusions
. Ongoing appraisal of public involvement is crucial. We present a process for self-evaluation, illuminate what ‘good’ means to researchers and public advisers involved in research, and identify areas for improvement. We conclude that provision of resources that enable support to public advisers in turn enable universities and research teams to implement other principles of good involvement.
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2019
Staley K, Cockcroft E, Shelly A, Liabo K (2019). 'What can I do that will most help researchers?' a different approach to training the public at the start of their involvement in research.
Res Involv Engagem,
5Abstract:
'What can I do that will most help researchers?' a different approach to training the public at the start of their involvement in research.
For patients and the public to work collaboratively with researchers, they need support and opportunities to engage in learning that builds on their skills and grows their confidence. In this article, we argue for a different approach to this learning, which starts with the expertise patients/ the public arrive with, and helps them identify and develop the soft skills required to influence researchers effectively. Much of the current training for patients and the public focuses on addressing the gaps in their knowledge and awareness about how research works and how public involvement adds value. Our training complements this by exploring the concept of 'experiential knowledge' in more depth. Patients and the public possess experiential knowledge (knowledge gained through lived experience) that researchers may not have. In the training we explore the nature of this expertise and other skills that patients/ the public bring, as well as how to identify who has the most relevant experiential knowledge in any given situation, and how best to share experiential knowledge to benefit researchers and maximise the impact of involvement. We co-produced this training with a patient member of the project team, and through feedback from patients and carers in an initial pilot. Our approach adds another dimension to preparing people for involvement and in particular for taking part in conversations with researchers that support mutual learning. We suggest this approach should be supported by separate, mirror training for researchers, that also develops their soft skills in preparation for learning from involvement.
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Liabo K, Boddy K, Burchmore H, Cockcroft E, Britten N (2019). Clarifying the roles of patients in research.
Br J Sports Med,
53(20).
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Liabo K, Roberts H (2019). Coproduction and coproducing research with children and their parents.
Arch Dis Child,
104(12), 1134-1137.
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Bakland M, Rosenvinge JH, Wynn R, Sundgot-Borgen J, Fostervold Mathisen T, Liabo K, Hanssen TA, Pettersen G (2019). Patients' views on a new treatment for Bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder combining physical exercise and dietary therapy (the PED-t). A qualitative study.
Eat Disord,
27(6), 503-520.
Abstract:
Patients' views on a new treatment for Bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder combining physical exercise and dietary therapy (the PED-t). A qualitative study.
A new group based treatment for patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED), combining guided Physical Exercise and Dietary therapy (PED-t), has shown the capacity to alleviate BN and BED symptoms. The PED-t is run by therapists with a professional background in sport sciences and nutrition, which in many clinical settings is an uncommon group of professionals. The symptom reduction effects using the PED-t need validation from patients who have been given this kind of treatment, as negative experiences may impinge further clinical implementation. To explore such experiences, semistructural interviews were conducted with 15 participants. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a systematic text condensation approach. Overall, patients experienced the format and content of the PED-t as beneficial and as providing tools to manage BN- and BED symptoms. The patients' experiences of therapist credibility was enhanced by their appreciation of the therapists' professional background. Finally, some treatment modifications were suggested. Overall, the PED-t may thus be offered to patients with BN and BED, by a new set of professionals, and in uncommon settings. This possibility calls for future effectiveness studies integrating both parametric and experiential data.
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Anonymous Members of the Peninsula Public Involvement Group, Liabo K, O'Dwyer S (2019). Research Commentary: a Carer's Roadmap for Research, Practice, and Policy on Suicide, Homicide, and Self-Harm.
Behav Sci (Basel),
9(5).
Abstract:
Research Commentary: a Carer's Roadmap for Research, Practice, and Policy on Suicide, Homicide, and Self-Harm.
Academic researchers are increasingly asked to engage with the wider world, both in terms of creating impact from their work, and in telling the world what goes on in university research departments. An aspect of this engagement involves working with patients, carers or members of the public as partners in research. This means working with them to identify important research questions and designing studies to address those questions. This commentary was jointly written by two researchers and people with relevant caring experience for this special issue. It brings to the forefront the concerns of carers who are also involved in research as partners. The aim is to highlight their perspectives to inform future research, policy, and practice.
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Roberts H, Liabo K (2019). Research beyond the hospital walls.
Arch Dis Child,
104(4), 313-315.
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Roberts HM, Liabo K (2019). Research with children and young people: not on them. What can we learn from the non-clinical research?.
Arch Dis Child,
104(10), 936-937.
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Bradby H, Liabo K, Ingold A, Roberts H (2019). Visibility, resilience, vulnerability in young migrants.
Health (London),
23(5), 533-550.
Abstract:
Visibility, resilience, vulnerability in young migrants.
Young unaccompanied asylum seekers have been portrayed as vulnerable, resilient or both. Those granted residency in Europe are offered support by health and social care systems, but once they leave the care system to make independent lives, what part can these services play? Our review of research with migrants who have been in care in Sweden and the United Kingdom found evidence of unmet need, but little research describing their own views of services. The limited published evidence, supplemented by interviews with care leavers in a UK inner city, suggests that in defining health needs, young people emphasise housing, education, employment and friendship over clinical or preventative services. Some felt well supported while others described feeling vulnerable, anxious, angry or sad. These experiences, if linked with the insensitivity of even one professional, could lower young people's expectations of healthcare to the extent that they avoided contact with service providers. In supporting young migrants' resilience to meet everyday challenges, friendly support from peers, carers and professionals was important. They needed determined advocacy at key moments. The different challenges for the Swedish and UK health and welfare systems along with the resilience/vulnerability trajectory are described.
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2018
Liabo K, Boddy K, Burchmore H, Cockcroft E, Britten N (2018). Clarifying the roles of patients in research.
BMJ,
361 Author URL.
Roberts H, Ingold A, Liabo K, Manzotti G, Reeves D, Bradby H (2018). Moving on: Transitions out of care for young people with learning disabilities in England and Sweden.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES,
46(1), 54-63.
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2017
Liabo K, Ingold A, Roberts H (2017). Co-production with “vulnerable” groups: Balancing protection and participation.
Health Science Reports,
1(3), e19-e19.
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Stansfield C, Liabo K (2017). Identifying Social Care Research Literature: Case Studies from Guideline Development.
Evidence Based Library and Information Practice,
12(3), 114-114.
Abstract:
Identifying Social Care Research Literature: Case Studies from Guideline Development
Abstract

Objective – Systematic searching is central to guideline development, yet guidelines in social care present a challenge to systematic searching because they exist within a highly complex policy and service environment. The objective of this study was to highlight challenges and inform practice on identifying social care research literature, drawing on experiences from guideline development in social care. 

Methods – the researchers reflected on the approaches to searching for research evidence to inform three guidelines. They evaluated the utility of major topic-focused bibliographic database sources through a) determining the yield of citations from the search strategies for two guidelines and b) identifying which databases contain the citations for three guidelines. The researchers also considered the proportion of different study types and their presence in certain databases. 

Results – There were variations in the ability of the search terms to capture the studies from individual databases, even with low-precision searches. These were mitigated by searching a combination of databases and other resources that were specific to individual topics. A combination of eight databases was important for finding literature for the included topics. Multiple database searching also mitigates the currency of content, topic and study design focus, and consistency of indexing within individual databases. 

Conclusion – Systematic searching for research evidence in social care requires considerable thought and development so that the search is fit for the particular purpose of supporting guidelines. This study highlights key challenges and reveals trends when utilising some commonly used databases.
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Liabo K, McKenna C, Ingold A, Roberts H (2017). Leaving foster or residential care: a participatory study of care leavers' experiences of health and social care transitions.
Child Care Health Dev,
43(2), 182-191.
Abstract:
Leaving foster or residential care: a participatory study of care leavers' experiences of health and social care transitions.
BACKGROUND: Young people in residential or foster care experience multiple transitions around their 18th birthday without the long term and consistent support from their family of origin that most of their peers can expect. We report a mixed methods qualitative study of transitions across health and social care services for children leaving care, providing narratives of what young people described as positive, and what they and professionals think might be improved. METHODS: Data were collected in participatory meetings and individual interviews between young people and researchers (n = 24) and individual interviews with practitioners (n = 11). In addition to discussion and interview techniques, we used pictorial and other participatory methods. Interviews were coded by three members of the team and differences resolved with a fourth. Our analysis draws on thematic and framework approaches. RESULTS: Health was rarely at the top of any young person's agenda, although gaps in health care and exceptional care were both described. Housing, financial support and education took priority. Young people and professionals alike emphasized the importance of workers prepared to go the extra mile; of young people being able to contact professionals; and professionals being able to contact one another. CONCLUSIONS: Policy and practice aspirations for care leavers recommend gradual change but transfer rather than transition continues to be described by care leavers. Our data support the need for transition as a long-term process, with children and young people having early opportunities to prepare for citizenship.
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2016
Liabo K (2016). Care leavers’ involvement in research: an ethnographic case study on impact.
Qualitative Social Work: research and practice,
ForthcomingAbstract:
Care leavers’ involvement in research: an ethnographic case study on impact
INTRODUCTION: Reporting data from a case study of a collaborative systematic review, this paper discusses the impact service user involvement might have on research, and how research might benefit from this. METHODS: This was a qualitative case study. The researcher analysed process data on the collaboration in the form of meeting transcripts and minutes, reflective interviews and the researchers’ own field diary. The review was also compared with two systematic reviews on a similar topic, using the AMSTAR checklist. RESULTS: the young people had influence at all stages of the review, but most importantly shifted its focus from healthcare to education, emphasising education as an important determinant of health. CONCLUSION: Young people involved in this review influenced the researcher’s reviewing as well as the review, which shows that involving service users in research is important in order to reduce researcher bias in social care research.
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Singh S, Anderson B, Liabo K, Ganeshamoorthy T (2016). Supporting young people in their transition to adults' services: summary of NICE guidance. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 353, i2225-i2225.
2015
Oliver S, Liabo K, Stewart R, Rees R (2015). Public involvement in research: making sense of the diversity.
J Health Serv Res Policy,
20(1), 45-51.
Abstract:
Public involvement in research: making sense of the diversity.
This paper presents a coherent framework for designing and evaluating public involvement in research by drawing on an extensive literature and the authors' experience. The framework consists of three key interrelated dimensions: the drivers for involvement; the processes for involvement and the impact of involvement. The pivotal point in this framework is the opportunity for researchers and others to exchange ideas. This opportunity results from the processes which bring them together and which support their debates and decisions. It is also the point at which research that is in the public interest is open to public influence and the point at which the interaction can also influence anyone directly involved. Judicious choice of methods for bringing people together, and supporting their debate and decisions, depends upon the drivers of those involved; these vary with their characteristics, particularly their degree of enthusiasm and experience, and their motivation.
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2014
Liabo K (2014). Health activism: foundations and strategies.
CRITICAL PUBLIC HEALTH,
24(1), 104-105.
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2012
Roberts H, Petticrew M, Liabo K, Macintyre S (2012). 'The Anglo-Saxon disease': a pilot study of the barriers to and facilitators of the use of randomised controlled trials of social programmes in an international context.
J Epidemiol Community Health,
66(11), 1025-1029.
Abstract:
'The Anglo-Saxon disease': a pilot study of the barriers to and facilitators of the use of randomised controlled trials of social programmes in an international context.
BACKGROUND: There appears to be considerable variation between different national jurisdictions and between different sectors of public policy in the use of evidence and particularly the use of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate non-healthcare sector programmes. METHODS: As part of a wider study attempting to identify RCTs of public policy sector programmes and the reasons for variation between countries and sectors in their use, we carried out a pilot study which interviewed 10 policy makers and researchers in six countries to elicit views on barriers to and facilitators of the use of RCTs for social programmes. RESULTS: While in common with earlier studies, those interviewed expressed a need for unambiguous findings, timely results and significant effect sizes, users could, in fact, be ambivalent about robust methods and robust answers about what works, does not work or makes no difference, particularly where investment or a policy announcement was planned. Different national and policy sector cultures varied in their use of and support for RCTs. CONCLUSIONS: in order to maximise the use of robust evaluations of public programmes across the world it would be useful to examine, systematically, cross-national and cross-sectoral variations in the use of different methods including RCTs and barriers to and facilitators of their use. Sound research methods, whatever their scientific value, are no guarantee that findings will be useful or used. 'Stories' have been shown to influence policy; those advocating the use of RCTs may need to provide convincing narratives to avoid repetition about their value.
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Liabo K, Gray K, Mulcahy D (2012). A systematic review of interventions to support looked-after children in school.
Child & Family Social Work,
18(3), 341-353.
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Stewart R, Liabo K (2012). Involvement in research without compromising research quality.
J Health Serv Res Policy,
17(4), 248-251.
Abstract:
Involvement in research without compromising research quality.
Health research funders in the UK now ask applicants to state how their research will involve patients and members of the public. Such involvement can help with questions that researchers repeatedly face: about improving trial recruitment, response rates and follow-up. Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in research is usually presented in the form of a ladder, from a low rung where studies are led by researchers with no patient involvement, to a high rung where studies are patient-led. This hierarchy does not sit well with many clinicians and academics whose expertise appears to have been downgraded. This article argues that research quality and relevance are optimised when patient expertise is integrated with researchers' and policy-makers' expertise, and each role acknowledged and valued, illustrated by an alternative model for PPI which places research and expertise at the centre of the involvement enterprise.
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Oliver S, Uhm, Liabo, Stewart, Rees (2012). Patient and public perspectives shaping scientific and medical research: panels for data, discussions, and decisions.
Patient Intelligence, 1-1.
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2009
Stevens M, Liabo K, Witherspoon S, Roberts H (2009). What do practitioners want from research, what do funders fund and what needs to be done to know more about what works in the new world of children's services?. Evidence & Policy: a Journal of Research, Debate and Practice, 5(3), 281-294.
2007
Stevens M, Liabo K, Roberts H (2007). A review of the research priorities of practitioners working with children in social care. Child & Family Social Work, 12(4), 295-305.
Liabø K, Richardson J (2007).
Conduct Disorder and Offending Behaviour in Young People Findings from Research., Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
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Conduct Disorder and Offending Behaviour in Young People Findings from Research
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Morris C, Liabo K, Wright P, Fitzpatrick R (2007). Development of the Oxford ankle foot questionnaire: finding out how children are affected by foot and ankle problems.
Child Care Health Dev,
33(5), 559-568.
Abstract:
Development of the Oxford ankle foot questionnaire: finding out how children are affected by foot and ankle problems.
BACKGROUND: a large number of children are affected by foot and ankle problems owing to congenital deformities, clinical syndromes, neuromuscular conditions or trauma. This study aimed to identify how children's lives are affected by foot and ankle problems from the child's perspective as the first stage in developing a family-assessed instrument. METHODS: This was a qualitative study using focus groups involving children with a variety of foot and ankle problems aged 5-7, 8-11 and 12-15 years, and separate concurrent groups for their parents. The focus groups were child-centred and involved creative activities; there were two main exercises. The first activity involved agreeing or disagreeing with several statements about children with foot and ankle problems; the second activity explored a typical 'day in the life' of a child with a foot or ankle problem. All the groups were audio-recorded and transcribed; grounded theory and comparative content analysis were used to identify and code themes participants reported as important. RESULTS: the groups ran successfully with children in all ages. Consistent themes identified by all groups were; (i) specific activities that were more difficult; (ii) physical symptoms; (iii) reduced participation in certain life situations; and (iv) self-consciousness. There were few differences in the issues raised by each age group although the life situations children encounter tend to become more complex as they get older; there is also the difficulty of negotiating a larger school campus at senior compared with junior school. There were no differences in the issues raised by children and their parents. CONCLUSIONS: Focus groups involving creative child-centred activities were used successfully to elicit children's experience of their health problems. In addition to expected activity limitations and physical symptoms some children with foot or ankle problems endure participation restrictions and self-consciousness that are exacerbated by the behaviour of other people or their environment, particularly at school. The findings of this study informed the development of a questionnaire to measure how severely children are affected by foot or ankle problems from the child's perspective.
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2006
Liabo K, Frost S, McNeish D, Sheldon T, Roberts H (2006). What Works for Children?. In Killoran A, Swann C, Kelly MP (Eds.)
Public Health Evidence Tackling Health Inequalities, Oxford University Press, USA.
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What Works for Children?
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2005
Liabo K, Lucas P, Roberts H (2005). International: the UK and Europe. In DuBois D, Karcher MJ (Eds.)
Handbook of youth mentoring, Sage Publications, Inc.
Abstract:
International: the UK and Europe
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Stevens M, Liabo K, Frost S, Roberts H (2005). Using research in practice: a research information service for social care practitioners. Child Family Social Work, 10(1), 67-75.
Liabo K (2005). What works for children and what works in research implementation? Experiences from a research and development project in the United Kingdom. Social Policy Journal of New Zealand: te puna whakaaro, Issue 24, 185-198.
2004
Curtis K, Roberts H, Copperman J, Downie A, Liabo K (2004). 'How come I don't get asked no questions?' Researching 'hard to reach' children and teenagers. Child Family Social Work, 9(2), 167-175.
Liabo K (2004). Children at work: Health and safety risks.
HEALTH RISK & SOCIETY,
6(1), 97-98.
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Curtis K, Liabo K, Roberts H, Barker M (2004). Consulted but not heard: a qualitative study of young people's views of their local health service.
Health Expect,
7(2), 149-156.
Abstract:
Consulted but not heard: a qualitative study of young people's views of their local health service.
OBJECTIVES: the objective of this study was to identify what children and young people in a health district in a large urban area experience as positive--and not so positive--about their local health services, in the light of a growing expectation that users play a more central role in the design and delivery of services. DESIGN: a qualitative study incorporating a range of methods, including interviews, play techniques and a website. SETTING: Schools, nurseries, community groups, in- and outpatient settings in an inner London health authority. PARTICIPANTS: Young people aged between 4 and 19 years, from community (n = 92) and clinical (n = 57) settings. This included 'hard-to-reach' children, including those leaving care, those in touch with the criminal justice system, asylum seekers, and those with learning disabilities. RESULTS: Alongside planning and environment issues, young people particularly emphasized the impact of communication and relationships with staff on their experience of health services. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Using a range of flexible and age-appropriate techniques, young people, even those as young as 4 or 5, are able to comment helpfully on their experiences of service provision. What children had to say is revealing but not astonishing to those working in the National Health Service (NHS). Clinicians and managers, to whom our findings were fed back, made this clear. If we have known for so long that the issues raised here are problems, why are we so poor at acting on this knowledge? the authors suggest four explanations.
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Brocklehurst N, Liabo K (2004). Evidence nuggets: promoting evidence-based practice. Community Practitioner, 371-375.
Roberts H, Liabo K, Lucas P, DuBois D, Sheldon TA (2004). Mentoring to reduce antisocial behaviour in childhood.
BMJ,
328(7438), 512-514.
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Roberts H, Curtis K, Liabo K, Rowland D, DiGuiseppi C, Roberts I (2004). Putting public health evidence into practice: increasing the prevalence of working smoke alarms in disadvantaged inner city housing.
J Epidemiol Community Health,
58(4), 280-285.
Abstract:
Putting public health evidence into practice: increasing the prevalence of working smoke alarms in disadvantaged inner city housing.
STUDY OBJECTIVES: the UK government recommends that local authorities install battery operated smoke alarms to prevent fire related injury. However, a randomised controlled trial of smoke alarm installation in local authority housing found a low level of working alarms at follow up. Qualitative work, which accompanied the trial explored barriers and levers to the use of this public health intervention. DESIGN: Semi-structured group and individual interviews were conducted with a sample of the adult participants in a randomised controlled trial of free smoke alarm installation. Group interviews and "draw and write" exercises were conducted with children at a local primary school. PARTICIPANTS: a sample of trial participants and primary school children in the trial neighbourhood. SETTING: an inner city housing estate in central London. MAIN RESULTS: the main barrier to smoke alarm use was the distress caused by false alarms. Although trial participants considered themselves to be at high risk for fires and would recommend smoke alarms to others, respondents' reports on the distress caused by false alarms suggest that people balance immediate and longer term risks to their health and wellbeing when they disable alarms. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified some of the reasons for the low level of functioning smoke alarms, and problems experienced with alarms. The results have implications for the implementation of this public health intervention. The effectiveness of smoke alarm installation could be improved if alarm manufacturers and those responsible for implementation programmes considered ways of tackling the issues raised in this study.
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2003
Liabo K, Lucas P, Roberts H (2003). Can traffic calming measures achieve the Children's Fund objective of reducing inequalities in child health?.
Arch Dis Child,
88(3), 235-236.
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2002
Lucas P, Liabo K, Roberts H (2002). Do behavioural treatments for sleep disorders in children with Down's syndrome work?.
Arch Dis Child,
87(5), 413-414.
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