Co-design Archives - Patient Experience Research Centre

Why did nobody ask us?! Reflections and findings from co-produced research into children’s vaccine uptake.

4 September 2024

In conversation with Dr Helen Skirrow, Lena Choudary-Salter and Habiba Haque

A recap on our research project

Not enough children in the local area around Church Street, Westminster, London where the Mosaic Community Trust is based get their routine vaccines. We therefore worked together on our project that Lena Choudary-Salter (Mosaic’s CEO) named ‘Why did nobody ask us?!’ to reflect that local parents’ views who live in an area of low vaccine uptake had not previously been listened to. We have written about our partnership working before. Children missing out on their routine vaccines is a problem not just in Church Street but in lots of areas of London and other urban areas of the UK, which are poorer and have more ethnically diverse populations.

Developing an implant to prevent breast cancer-related lymphoedema

Naomi Asantewa-Sechereh

30 October 2023

In conversation with: James E Moore Jr., Principal Investigator; Alain Vella, Research Engineer; and Arushri Swarup, Research Associate, from the Moore Research Group in the Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London

What is your research project about and what stage are you at?

We have developed an implant to prevent the onset of breast cancer-related lymphoedema (BCRL). BCRL is an under-represented condition that can occur following lymph node removal for the treatment of breast cancer. When lymph nodes are removed, lymphatic vessels (small vessels that transport fluid out of tissues) are damaged. In approximately 20% of patients this can lead to fluid build-up resulting in a swollen, heavy arm negatively impacting patients’ physical and mental health.

Developing an alternative to blood tests for health investigation through a microneedle biosensor device

Halle Johnson

10 October 2022

This entry is part 3 of 11 in the series People's Research Cafe at the Great Exhibition Road Festival 2022

This blog is part of a series showcasing the People’s Research Cafe which took place on the 18th and 19th June 2022 in South Kensington, London as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival.

What is a People’s Research Café?

The People’s Research Cafe is a café with a twist. Visitors are welcomed to sit down at a table co-hosted by an Imperial College researcher and a public contributor whose role is to help the conversation flow freely. Over a free hot drink, visitors find out about the researcher’s project and will be asked for their opinions on it.

HIV Co-Production Showcase: Sharing learnings from a participatory research project (Part 2)

Halle Johnson

5 August 2022

This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series HIV Co-Production

On Wednesday 6 July 2022, 25 stakeholders met at Lift, Islington (a community venue) to reflect, create and share ideas together as a group about co-producing HIV research using the example of a recent participatory project exploring the impact of COVID-19 on people living with HIV in the UK

The showcase event was co-designed to be interactive and participatory in nature (after all, we wanted to showcase how valuable these approaches can be to research!). You can find out more about how we co-designed the day in our previous blog.

HIV Co-Production Showcase: Sharing learnings from a participatory research project (Part 1)

Halle Johnson

6 July 2022

This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series HIV Co-Production

Over the last 18 months we have been working in partnership as a group of researchers and people living with HIV (two peer researchers and three advisory group members to undertake a co-produced peer research qualitative study exploring the experiences of COVID-19 among people living with HIV. This work is a collaboration between the Patient Experience Research Centre at Imperial College London and Positively UK.

As part of this participatory study, co-researchers undertook training on research ethics, the fundamental aspects of qualitative research, how to conduct and analyse interviews online and emotional wellbeing/safeguarding while undertaking research.

User-centred design in diabetes technology development

Halle Johnson

14 June 2022

In conversation with: Dr Parizad Avari, ST7 Registrar and Honorary Clinical Lecturer, working with Professor Nick Oliver in the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College, London

What is your research project about and what stage are you at?

We are aiming to improve the lives of people living with Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition which requires lifelong insulin therapy. The Horizon 2020 PEPPER (Patient Empowerment through Predictive PERsonalised decision support) project is a personalised decision support system to support self-management. The PEPPER app was designed for people with type 1 diabetes to manage their condition by providing personalised advice about insulin dosage and carbohydrate intake through artificial intelligence.