Through Patient and Public Involvement (PPI), people are active partners in the research process by, for example, advising on a research project, assisting in the design of a project, or in carrying out the research, rather than being the subjects of research.
The CCF is committed to active public involvement in all stages of research. NIHR refers to the public as meaning:
- People who use health and social care services
- Informal carers and families
- Members of the public who may be targeted by public health programmes
- Organisations representing the users of NHS services and community groups.
One of the criteria used in funding decisions to assess proposals is in how the research team has involved - and plans to involve - patients and/or other members of the public, for example by advising on a research project, assisting in the project design, or in carrying out the research, rather than being the 'subjects' of research. This covers:
- setting research priorities
- helping to decide what the research is setting out to achieve
- choosing the methods to carry out the research
- recruiting people into research studies
- understanding what the research findings mean for patiens and how it can be applied in the health service
- publicising the results.