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What is Patient and Public Involvement in research?

Patients talking about research with researchers around a table

Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) refers to a range of activities that allow people with experience of illness – including carers, family and the public - to contribute to research. It is about how you, as someone whose life has been affected by cancer, can use that experience to provide a patient-perspective that helps with good research design. It allows you to work with cancer researchers as a colleague and collaborator.

PPI is important for good quality research. The organisations that fund and promote research will expect researchers to work with patient contributors throughout their research projects.

Good PPI will ensure that research meets the needs of patients and their families. It ensures that research is designed with an understanding of the perspectives and experiences of patients and the public. This will help to make research more successful and more useful to people affected by cancer.

PPI is also important because patients are important stakeholders in cancer research. Good PPI means that people with experience of cancer get to contribute to discussions about what research happens and what cancer research aims to achieve.

PPI also helps researchers to develop important skills. For example, it teaches them how to explain their work to a lay audience.

You can find information about PPI online. Lots of research groups have videos online about PPI. Take a look at the links below.