The NIHR currently has over 9,100 personal and research awards contributing to their Researchfish database, tracking information, outputs and impact of funded research since 2012. This remarkable resource enables the NIHR to assess impact, influence policy and practice, keep patients at the heart of research, improve global collaboration, share data, highlight publications, and invest in people.
I also had PPI feedback with my scoping review of the literature. This helped me to define my search terms and search strategy...
- Dr Jemima Dooley, SPCR Launching Fellow
Since 2016, the NIHR have asked Academy members to define how patients have been involved in their research and to explain the difference it makes. The data gathered showed that almost 2000 NIHR award holders had used input from individuals and groups to help them develop their research questions, and more than 2500 said that patients and the public have been involved in the design of their projects. According to an NIHR report in 2019, the majority of award holders who reported a lack of involvement by patients are early career researchers. They hope to address this gap by finding new ways to engage with this group of researchers by reflecting and developing ways to better support them.
The School’s award holder, Launching Fellow Dr Jemima Dooley, said this about using the platform “It has helped me define my research questions from a patient perspective. The PPI groups have identified practical issues with the protocol and research documentation which was important at this early stage of the study. I also had PPI feedback with my scoping review of the literature. This helped me to define my search terms and search strategy.”
“Our Reseachfish data provides valuable insight into the levels of involvement and methodologies applied, in a variety of contexts.” Paula Wray, Senior Public Involvement Manager, INVOLVE