General overview of patient and public involvement
Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research and health care services is recognized as an important instrument for improving research uptake and healthcare practices, to improve health outcomes and patient satisfaction. The goal of patient and public Involvement and Engagement (PPI) in research is to have the patient and the public with a lived experience of a condition and social service contribute to context specific, acceptable, and beneficial to the public concerned. PPI is when research is being carried out ‘WITH’ OR ‘BY’ members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them (NIHR). It is about making Patients and potential patients, carers and members of the public active partners in research rather than the subjects or participants of research.
PPI in Maternal and Fetal Health
Maternal and newborn mortality remains unacceptably high in low-income setting including Malawi. very important research and other interventions being implemented in these settings, Maternal mortality remains unacceptably high. Malawi has a mortality ratio of 439 per 100,000 live births. We have formed a PPI committee to contribute to Maternal and Fetal health research, programmes and care practice with the aim of aiding researchers conduct context specific and relevant research to improve maternal and Fetal outcomes and change the way care is provided in future.
Problem
Research helps everyone through evidence generated. However not everyone from the public is aware of the research, research conduct, the results and what is expected of them about research. If patients and public are not involved, engaged, participate in research, research conducted may not address communities needs but researchers’ knowledge needs. It becomes difficult to put evidence into practice if the public was not involved in its research.
Intervention
We aim to have researchers make patients and the public a critical friend in research conduct and care practice. Patient and public involvement give researcher new ideas and make sure researchers work on most important questions and focus on the most important outcomes. Involving patients and the public at any stages of research is key in accepting results and changes to future care practice.
PPI brings in public perspectives into research and is ready to contribute to any type of protocol at any level of research process.
- Are you planning to conduct research?
- Do you want to improve care practices?
- Are you considering submitting a grant?
- Do you want your protocol, participants information sheet and recruitment materials developed or reviewed?
- Do you want to generate research ideas or set research priorities?
- Do you want to disseminate results in a format acceptable and understandable by the community?
Contact the PPI lead: Bertha Maseko,
Maternal and fetal health Manager,
Malawi Liverpool welcome programme
 Email: [email protected] alt. email; [email protected]
                              Cell: +265 888867779/990614742 Â
