A qualitative study exploring patients experiences of PPI in research

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in Research: A qualitative study exploring patients’ experiences and their perceptions of the involvement process for NIHR funding applications in a Biomedical Research Centre.

• IRAS ID

  146282

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Brighton

• Research summary

  Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in research has become increasingly prevalent in NHS health research in the past decade after it was incorporated into government policies and made to be a prerequisite for most funding bodies and research ethics committees. This study aims to explore patients’ experiences and perceptions of being involved in a Biomedical Research Centre. PPI in biomedical research has traditionally been rare and it is still a relatively new concept and therefore this study will explore patients’ experiences of being involved in a Biomedical research Centre where little research has been conducted around PPI.

  Exploring patients’experiences using a qualitative approach will give a deeper understanding of the involvement process which will help to inform and influence PPI practice and policy within the Biomedical Research Centre and other research departments. Currently, there is no universally agreed guidance for evaluating quality of PPI in research, and there is a need to develop a questionnaire for evaluating PPI within the researcher’s organisation. The findings from this study may therefore help towards development of a pilot questionnaire for evaluating PPI in research.

  PPI encompasses patients, carers and representatives from organisations or charities, but for the purposes of this study, sample will be confined to patients only in order to have a homogenous sample of patients only. Participants will be individuals who have been patients but are no longer in a known position of vulnerability, who were involved in PPI for NIHR funded research in the Biomedical Research Centre. Semi structured individual interviews will be used to collect data. Participants will be required to have only one audio taped interview with the researcher. A purposive sample of 6-8 adults will be recruited from a Biomedical Centre.

• REC name

  South Central - Oxford A Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  14/SC/1062

• Date of REC Opinion

  19 Jun 2014

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion