Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research
Patients and the public with relevant lived experience influencing what and how health and medical research is done.
What is patient and public involvement in research?
Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research is an active partnership between patients/public and researchers in the research process. It is not simply people taking part in research studies.
The public (PPI contributors) include patients, potential patients, carers and people who use health services as well as people from organisations that represent people who use services. There are many terms for PPI contributors such as PPI representatives, patient advocate, lay researcher, public partner - you may prefer another description.
The Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences is committed to continually improving and developing its PPI, and is in the process of producing an updated strategy to demonstrate this.
For researchers - PPI checklist
WHY IS it important?
PPI contributors can make a difference to health research by:
- identifying new topics for research and ensuring that topics are relevant to patients, carers and members of the public
- making sure that researchers ask the right questions and in a way that the public understand
- keeping the research on track so that it stays relevant
- making sure the people being researched are approached in the right way
- improving the quality of the research by adding another point of view to the design and way that the research is carried out.
Keep in touch
With our NIHR partners, we produce two newsletters about involving the public in research, service provision or commissioning.
Making a difference
Lay leader Karen Maskell was awarded for her work in setting up Health Makers.
How to get involved
Information for researchers
Diverse approaches to PPI
These case-studies show some of different approaches taken to patient and public involvement in the department, they were developed in partnership with the NIHR CLAHRC Oxford:
Departmental PPI network
Within the department, staff from different teams help to ensure PPI is embedded in research projects and develop relationships with PPI contributors. The departmental PPI network is made up of these PPI liaisons as well as dedicated PPI practitioners and researchers whose work focuses on PPI.
Health Behaviours: Anisa Hajizadeh, Public Health Researcher and DPhil student
MS and HERG: Angela Martin, Operations Manager
Cardiovascular Disease: Bethany Jakubowski, Qualitative Researcher
CEBM: Anne-Marie Boylan, Department Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow
Digital Health and Innovation: Laura Armitage, Clinical Doctoral Fellow
Big Data: Nicola Pidduck, Project Manager
Centre for Health Service Economics and Organisation: Raphael Wittenberg, Deputy Director
Interdisciplinary Research in Health Sciences: Joanna Crocker, Senior Researcher
Interdisciplinary Resarch in Health Sciences: Stuart Faulkner, Programme and Operations Manager
Infections and Acute Care: Philip Turner, Manager and Senior Researcher
