Advancing our understanding of practical and philosophical issues in PPI through an anonymised real life case study

2012 Conference

Abstract:
The aim of this participative session based on short input and safe discussion is to explore issues raised from a real life but anonymised experience of being a PPI representative on a high level research funding group in the field of health and social care. It will focus particularly on the kind of issues that may be encountered by service users and others in this role and how to deal with them, drawing on participants’ experience. This will include:

• What skills do you need (and how can you develop them) ?
• What qualities is it helpful to develop (and what helps to do this) ?

It will also address a range of issues that may be encountered, starting with:

• Where ‘quality’ in terms of ‘the science’ of applications is contrasted with their PPI (patient,public involvement) input, exploring the nature of the relation of PPI to ‘science’.
• Assumptions about the need, possibility and relevance or otherwise of PPI in laboratory based research.
• How PPI might be achieved in such cases.
• How cultures and attitudes to PPI vary in different kinds and fields of research and how this might helpfully be dealt with to improve PPI.