Blog - Involving the Public in our Research: Reflections from our 2022 Annual Survey

Anna Crawford, our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Officer, talks us through the results of  the survey in our latest blog.  

The ACRC strives to engage any person in later life to become an essential part of our work into healthy ageing. Our Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Network supports this level of high involvement to better shape our future research. The importance of recognising these lived experiences contributes to the relevance of research findings and creates vibrant community interaction.

To help understand how our PPI programme has developed over the past year, in November 2022 we sent an annual feedback questionnaire to our PPI members through our monthly PPI Network newsletter. Out of 22 active Network members, 15 people completed the survey. This was an increase of four from the previous year, indicating that we are successfully engaging with more members of the public.

The responses showed that PPI members supported a range of activities, from identifying and discussing research projects to dissemination and the presentation of findings. The majority of respondents indicated that they originally became involved because they hoped their input meant that they were making a difference, contributing to something worthwhile, and learning something new. 80% of members felt that these expectations were met, with all members saying they felt listened to during the activities. The majority of respondents stated their interest in the research, followed equally by their relevant personal experience and the skills they required were the main reasons why they chose to get involved.

The majority of Network members felt their involvement made a difference, and overall, 80% of members expressed their wish to be involved in future ACRC activities and stated they were satisfied with the current opportunities provided.

We also asked our PPI members what opportunities they would like to see in the future, and suggestions included more creative options such as poetry, a podcast, or artwork opportunities. Similarly, further recommendations include having more personal and regular communication and using more visual techniques to help with accessibility.

The majority of respondents reported they are “very likely” to recommend the network to someone else interested in supporting research into care in later life with a further 60% stating their support rating offered by the ACRC PPI staff was excellent.

The findings from this year’s survey offers a useful valuation of public involvement activities across the ACRC. This feedback is invaluable in developing the public engagement programme and will assist researchers and staff alike to understand and evidence the crucial role the public plays in shaping and meaningfully contributing to research.

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