Public Patient Involvement

PPI

What is PPI?

PPI stands for Patient and Public Involvement. It means researchers working with patients, carers, and members of the public. People involved can contribute in various ways: advising on how to best recruit research participants, membership on research oversight committees, collaborating on dissemination of research findings. In principle members of the public can be involved in any stage of research, as long as it is ethically appropriate.

What do PPI members do?

Patients and carers can be full members of research teams; they attend meetings and contribute with a patient ‘hat’ on. They consider decisions from a patient’s perspective. Sometimes researchers work with a special patient advisory board to a study, and they will present to this board and the patients give advice on how to move on with a study. Other times patients review funding applications, or suggest research ideas. If you'd like to get involved in PenPEG and APEx's collaboration, contact the PPI team.

Why is PPI important?

Patients and members of the public can see problems and solutions to problems in different ways to researchers and healthcare practitioners. By working together in teams, everyone with a stake in the research findings and contribute to making research more relevant to services and patients.

How does APEx approach PPI?

Our approach to PPI is based on a model developed within PenARC over the last five years, a model which has been acclaimed nationally and internationally for its innovative and comprehensive nature. Our model is based on the belief that patients have a right to be involved in the research that is intended to benefit service users, and on the hypothesis that research which addresses patient concerns is more likely to be taken up in practice. Delivery of the model involves collaboration with patients and members of the public as both users and producers of knowledge.

Our strategic objectives are to:

• Embed public involvement in all research activities

• Develop practical involvement approaches in partnership with patients and carers

• Build on the collective experiences of the Peninsula Public Involvement Group (PenPEG)

• Further the evidence-base for public involvement in research

• Support sustainable public involvement and engagement at the University of Exeter College of Medicine and Health

We are in the process of establishing a patient and carer advisory group specifically for the work of the National School for Primary Care Research here at Exeter. More information will be posted here in advance of this.