‘Getting involved in Research’: A co-created, co-delivered and co-analysed course for those with lived experience of health and social care services

Carolyn Blair, Paul Best, Patricia Burns, Anne Campbell, Gavin Davidson, joe Duffy, Anne Johnston, Berni Kelly, Campbell Killick, Denise Mac Dermott, Alan Maddock, Claire Jane McCartan, Paula Mc Fadden, Anne McGlade, Lorna Montgomery, Sonia Patton, Dirk Schubotz, Brian Taylor, Fiona Templeton, Paul WebbChris White, jade yap

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)
28 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: 'Getting Involved in Research' was co-created and delivered by a multi-organisational group to provide an accessible introduction to research for those with lived experience of health and social care services.

METHOD: The evaluation of participants' perceptions adopted an exploratory mixed method research design and aimed to gather data to provide an in-depth understanding of the participants' experience of 'Getting Involved in Research' through the co-researchers' analysis of qualitative data using Participatory Theme Elicitation (PTE). PTE was used with the qualitative data to promote co-analysis by the course development group; analyses from an independent academic was also used to further validate the method of PTE.

RESULTS: Thirty-five participants in total participated in 'Getting Involved in Research'. Age ranges varied from 19 to 73 years old. Participants were predominately female (n = 24), five males participated (n = 5) and there was one participant who identified as non-binary (n = 1). Six core themes were identified using the PTE approach: (1) A Meaningful Participatory Approach (2) Increasing the Confidence of Participants (3) Interactive Online Format (4) An Ambient Learning Environment (5) A Desire for Future Courses (6) A Balance of Course Content and Discussion. Participants in 'Getting Involved in Research' reported that the content of the training was applicable, relevant, fostered awareness of research methods and anticipated that it would support their involvement in research.

CONCLUSION: 'Getting Involved in Research' has contributed innovatively to the evidence base for how to engage with and motivate those who have experience of health and social care to become actively involved in research. This study demonstrates that 'Getting Involved in Research' may be helpful to train those with lived experience and their care partners however, further research following up on the application of the course learning would be required to ascertain effectiveness.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS: Future research should explore methods to apply research skills in practice to further develop participants' confidence in using the skills gained through 'Getting Involved in Research'.

Original languageEnglish
Article number20 (2022)
Number of pages16
JournalResearch Involvement and Engagement
Volume8
Early online date16 May 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished (in print/issue) - 16 May 2022

Bibliographical note

© 2022. The Author(s).

Funding Information:
This work was supported by funding from Disability Research on Independent Living and Learning and from HSC R&D Division, Public Health Agency [HSC R&D Award Reference: STL/5562/19].

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).

Keywords

  • Participatory action research
  • health & social care education
  • patient & public involvement
  • service users
  • participatory theme elicitation
  • lived experience

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of '‘Getting involved in Research’: A co-created, co-delivered and co-analysed course for those with lived experience of health and social care services'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this