Gosh! Im getting used to being the only patient speaking at research events!!!
Today NHS Research Scotland (NRS) held an away day in Edinburgh with a variety of researchers, research managers, R&D, members of the CSO and various others. There was also me- not a researcher, research manager or in any of the other positions that other attendees held. I was there as a patient and to give my perspective of patient and public involvement (PPI) and how it has impacted me.
As I present more and more and to larger audiences I find I am more at ease speaking at the lectern in front of a room full of people. What I have realised is that I can articulate the importance of PPI and how passionate I am about it. My passion for PPI comes from the experience I have had being involved in research and how it has changed my life. Not wanting to overuse a statement but it is I guess my catchphrase to sum up how I feel about PPI…
“the best thing is being able to share what I have been able to do in research and help researchers understand what it is like to live with uncontrolled asthma…PPI and research has really turned a negative situation into a positive one”
I feel so fortunate to be able to speak about the variety of different opportunities I have had as a result of PPI. Every piece of research is different so PPI activities that go with the research are going to be different but the aim is the same. It is about helping the researchers to get the most out of their research and making it applicable to people with that condition.
Not all researchers are receptive to the idea of PPI and working alongside patients as colleagues, but as PPI becomes more of an integral part of research and grant applications it is horrible to think that researchers who don’t like PPI are forced into doing it and then do PPI badly and this gives a really negative experience for the patients involved. As I have more experience now I feel confident in saying to researchers if it has been a bad experience but when I first started I didnt have that confidence and I don’t know what the researchers thought afterwards and would hate to think they went on as they did and give other patients a similar experience which is why I will now say if its not been good.
Speaking at events I can get across the importance of PPI to not only researchers but also to the patients involved and how it can give us hope that there is people who care about our conditions and are trying to improve our lives.
I started off in PPI not really knowing what I was doing and if the comments I was making were correct or not but as I do more I gain new skills and my understanding of PPI is greater. I love being able to share my passion for it and hope that by expressing my passion and how it has affected me will inspire researchers to go out and plan PPI events and incorporate PPI into their research.
Today at the NRS Away day I really hope everyone got something out of what I said. It was lovely to hear all the positive comments and the thank yous that people gave me is lovely to hear.
I want to open up and if anyone is reading this post who wants to find out more about PPI or how to get involved please leave me a comment as I am more than happy to answer questions and point you in the right direction.
Any questions just ask!!!!
ANONYMOUS-ASTHMA 