Evaluating the impact of service user involvement on research: a prospective case study
Abstract
As service user involvement in health and social care research has become more firmly embedded in health policies, both in the UK and internationally, there is increasing interest in evaluating its potential benefits and outcomes. Impact studies have highlighted a range of different types of service user involvement, using diverse research methods, within various research topics and involving different stakeholders. Potential benefits to research, researchers and the service users actively involved in research have been identified, along with the possibility of some negative consequences. Many impact studies have been criticized for being based on informal retrospective accounts of researchers and service users working together. Few have been underpinned by conceptual models, and there is a paucity of detailed accounts of the process of involvement that would enable replication. This paper reports an account of a prospective, qualitative exploration of service user involvement within a study, where the aims of the evaluation were agreed beforehand. Reflective discussions about the process and progress of service user involvement at different stages of the study were recorded, transcribed and analysed. The qualitative analysis identified perceived benefits to research, researchers and service user researchers that endorsed previous findings. The analysis also highlighted subjective and interpersonal aspects of service user involvement that have seldom been reported. This evaluation demonstrates the benefits of allowing time for structured reflection and adds to the understanding of the process and meaning of service user involvement in research.
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There is a notable lack of evidence on outcomes and impact of PPI, and what little evidence there is tends to be observational evaluations which rarely consider the links between context, models of PPI and outcomes.
“Not only is there a notable lack of evidence on outcomes and impact of PPI, 31 but what little there is tends to be observational evaluations which rarely consider the links between the context (when and where PPI happens), models of PPI (how it functions) and the outcomes of PPI (what difference it made).32”
From ReseArch with Patient and Public invOlvement: a RealisT evaluation – the RAPPORT study (2015) · cites this paper as [31]
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“For example, stakeholder engagement is considered to improve the quality of the research by enhancing the credibility of the results [34, 35].”
BackgroundBrekke, E., Clausen, H. K., Brodahl, M., Lexén, A., Keet, R., Mulder, C. L., & Landheim, A. S. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.727013 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
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“Previous studies have reported that interviewers with lived experience can make it easier to establish trust during interviews [61], elicit richer descriptions, hence increasing the quality of the data [62], and access information that would otherwise not have been shared.”
Background
- Authors
- Barber, R., Beresford, P., Boote, J., Cooper, C., & Faulkner, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Sheffield (GB)
- Brunel University of London (GB)
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Barber, Rosemary
- Venue
- International Journal of Consumer Studies
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2011-10-13
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 609-615
- ISSN
- 1470-6423 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1894534884
- Cited by
- 107
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 8.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Consumer Studies (publishedVersion)
- University of Hertfordshire Research Archive (University of Hertfordshire) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mental Health and Patient Involvement
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Community Health and Development
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
- Keywords
- service user involvement, co-production of research, health and social care research, research evaluation, reflective practice
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