Patient and public involvement in research

Patient and public involvement in research. Patient and public involvement (PPI) entails research being car-ried out 'with' members of the public, rather than 'to', 'about' or 'for' them. The word public can refer to patients, po-tential patients, carers and people who use health and social care services, people from organisations that represent peo-ple who use services as well as members of the public. People with lived experience of a particular service or health con-dition may add value to the research and even influence the research question. The involvement may occurr in any stage of the research process, but preferably since the very start, when the study is designed. To obtain a real involvement and participation some practical tips are suggested. In this paper advantages but also difficulties related to PPI are present-ed, based both on the literature but also from the authors' experience.

Automated summary

Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research refers to conducting research together with the public, rather than conducting research on, about, or for them. PPI can occur at any stage of the research process, and individuals with lived experience can contribute value and influence research questions.