Supporting public involvement in research
Public involvement in research is a priority for the National Institute for Health Research.
Involving members of the public leads to research that is:
- more relevant to people's needs and concerns
- more reliable
- more likely to be used
Research which reflects the needs and views of the public is more likely to produce results that can be used to improve practice in health and social care.
Involvement means an active partnership between the public and researchers in the research process, rather than the use of people as the 'subjects' of research. Active involvement may take the form of consultation, collaboration or user control. This could include, for example, public involvement in advising on a research project, assisting in the design of a project, or in carrying out the research.
The RDS SE offers NHS researchers access to a number of free resources to enable and improve public involvement in the design of studies.