You’ve done the research, now what??

2012 Conference

Abstract:
There is much advice available to service users and carers who wish to participate in research, but very little on what should happen when studies conclude; although research may be pointless if results are not accurately interpreted and if appropriate people are not made aware of studies and their results. We propose to deliver an interactive, discursive workshop which would last 60 minutes and would require enough space to put up 9 blank sheets of A1 paper on which participants could record their views. 

In the introduction to the workshop, participants would learn about the 4 activities that typically happen after research i.e:

• The results are interpreted
• The interpretation of the results is written up as reports or a thesis
• These are disseminated to some interested parties
• Decisions are made regarding further research

Participants would then be invited to discuss nine guiding questions as to how patients/carers/members of the public might be involved in these activities. They will be asked to record their ideas on headed, question specific, A1 paper made available for this purpose.

The last part of the workshop will be spent with the whole group discussing the ideas put forward and summarising these for possible future publication.

This workshop will help people to think more critically about the best outlets for their research findings. This will address a problem that service users and academics both encounter at the end of the research process.