Public involvement improves research says new report

News release from NETSCC, HTA

15 December 2009

Public and patient involvement in research can enhance the quality of research and research outcomes, according to a new report published by INVOLVE.

The HTA programme works closely with INVOLVE to encourage members of the public to engage with the programme and NHS research. They provide vital input into the work of the programme by commenting on research proposals, identifying and prioritising topics for research, and working as part of the researcher team on a project. For more details on this work visit our Involving the public pages.

The new INVOLVE report: Exploring Impact: public involvement in NHS, public health and social care research looks at the impact of public involvement through an in-depth review of published literature.

It draws together examples of how public involvement is conducted, and how it makes a difference. It also raises questions about the quality of evidence showing the impact of such involvement, revealing huge variations in how this is assessed and reported, highlighting difficulties in judging it or drawing general conclusions.

The full report (116 pages) is available to download on the publications section of the INVOLVE website http://www.invo.org.uk/Publications.asp
http://www.invo.org.uk/pdfs/Involve_Exploring_Impactfinal28.10.09.pdf
A 16 page summary is also available http://www.invo.org.uk/pdfs/InvolveExploringImpactSummary3.11.09final.pdf
Please contact INVOLVE if you need a paper copy of the report admin@invo.org.uk or telephone 02380 651088

Notes for editors

1. The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme commissions research about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest NIHR programme and publishes the results of its research in the Health Technology Assessment journal, with over 530 issues published to date. The journal’s 2009 Impact Factor (4.197) ranked it in the top 10% of medical and health-related journals. All issues are available for download free of charge from the website, www.hta.ac.uk

2. The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility. The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training. Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients. www.nihr.ac.uk