Document resource
Background Over the past decade there has been a growing appreciation of the value public and patient involvement (PPI) can have within public health research, yet understanding of its benefits can still be overlooked. The SPECTRUM consortium (funded by the UK Prevention Research Partnership) is a multi-university, multi-agency research consortium focusing on the commercial determinants of health and health inequalities. SPECTRUM has three PPI groups who are regularly consulted for research projects related to alcohol, tobacco, vaping and food. This project evaluated the impact of the three groups and generated learning points for future PPI in prevention research.Methods Interviews were conducted with PPI group members (n=23), facilitators (n=5) and researchers who had worked with one or more of the groups (n=6). Transcripts were coded using NVivo with additional analysis carried out by PPI group members.Results Opinions about working with the groups and being part of a group were generally positive, PPI members enjoyed finding out about research and felt empowered by being consulted and helping to shape research. Researchers were mostly able to identify where there had been positive impact to their research after consulting the groups, they found the perspective of lived experience and a lay perspective enriched the research and made it more relevant. Potential improvements were identified by group members, such as more frequent communication about projects that they had been consulted on. Group members were concerned that they might no longer be representative of a lay voice given their accumulated experience and topic-area knowledge. Most researchers felt that this experience was a benefit as they did not have to spend time explaining the context of their research. Researchers and facilitators discussed issues around support and funding available for PPI, and inconsistencies in how it is valued.Conclusion Consulting people with lived experience adds another dimension to public health research making more applicable to those who will ultimately benefit from it. Researchers and facilitators need to ensure that group members are informed of how their input has impacted the research and updated on projects as they progress. More work is needed to ensure PPI is valued consistently within and across institutions, this could be achieved through better communication of how it can benefit research, and adequately supporting it through staffing and funding.