Patient and public involvement is not about recruiting patients or members of the public as participants in research. Image Effective patient and public involvement can help researchers to improve the quality of their research and ensure it is relevant to patients’ needs. Members of the public might, for example, be invited to sit on a study steering group to give the patient point of view on all aspects of study design and conduct, or a group of people might advise a research team on research priorities. Grant funders now usually require researchers to involve the public in their research, so it is best to start involving people at the grant application stage. Whether you are a researcher who wants to involve people in your research, or a member of the public who would like to get involved, you can find advice and support from Carol Porteous. MS-SMART Trial Patient public involvement has played a vital part in the evolution the MS-SMART trial and will continue through the trial. With the help of the MS Society specially convened focus groups were set up enabling people with MS to provide constructive feedback on the design of the study and in addition, two patient representatives have formal roles in the trial bringing them directly in contact with the clinicians, scientists and other researchers leading the trial. Get involved If you would like further information about being part of a research team please contact: Carol Porteous Patient & Public Involvement and Engagement Adviser Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility Contact details Work: 0131 537 3093 Email: carol.porteous@ed.ac.uk Other organisations These organisations support public involvement in NHS, public health and social care research: Involve The James Lind Alliance Participants and Completed Studies If you have participated in a research study from the ECTU Trial Portfolio and it is complete and you would like to find out more please contact us. Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit Contact details Work: 0131 651 9901 Email: ECTU@ed.ac.uk This article was published on 2024-09-24
