Developing patient and public involvement (PPI) at the Bristol Nutrition Biomedical Research Unit: The challenges of tailoring PPI

2014 Conference

Abstract: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Unit in Nutrition, Diet and Lifestyle at the University of Bristol and the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust was launched in April 2012 and specialises in a diverse range of research areas including: nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle in men with prostate cancer; optimising nutrition in children with chronic disease; pre and post-surgical feeding; and sedentary behaviour in people with diabetes. The Unit aims to carry out research that is translational – directly translating research findings to benefit clinical populations – and involving patients and the public is an integral part of achieving its aims. Nevertheless the diversity of research areas presented challenges for researchers who were keen to involve patients and the public in their research.

This poster explores the ways that researchers, who had varying levels of experience with patient and public involvement (PPI), went about developing involvement across the Unit’s key research themes. The presentation will explore how researchers developed PPI policies and associated documentation, adapted recruitment processes to suit patient groups, and tailored induction and training to meet the requirements of PPI involvement across related, yet distinct, research areas. The difficulties encountered and attempts to overcome these are discussed, and examples of successful PPI contributions into research projects are presented.

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