{"id":797,"date":"2019-09-30T16:37:50","date_gmt":"2019-09-30T16:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/perc\/?p=797"},"modified":"2020-02-04T09:43:20","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T09:43:20","slug":"case-study-20-parents-as-partners-in-preterm-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/perc\/2019\/09\/30\/case-study-20-parents-as-partners-in-preterm-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Public involvement in prematurity research at Imperial Women\u2019s Health Research Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"
This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series PPI Awards: Round 4 Reports<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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In conversation with: Lynne Sykes<\/a>, Clinical Lecturer; Rachel Akers, Senior Research Midwife; and Malko Adan, Senior Research Midwife<\/strong><\/p>\n

Working within: Prematurity Research<\/a>, Women\u2019s Health Research Centre at Imperial <\/strong>Institute of Reproductive & Developmental Biology<\/strong><\/p>\n

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What did you do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We held face-to-face meetings with patients who took part in our preterm research project meetings to garner acceptability and opinions for new research techniques. We chose this method because it allowed our patients to share their experiences with others and catch up with the research team, who they saw for a large amount of time during their pregnancy. It also allowed us to physically show patients the sample collection techniques we planned to use, which can be difficult to explain remotely.<\/p>\n


\nWhat were you trying to achieve?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We hoped that the Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) group would add greater insight into how we could incorporate different sampling techniques into our current clinic by giving us patient opinions on timings, where samples would be taken and by what level of clinician.<\/p>\n

We also set out to record a series of video blogs to be used on social media, Imperial College websites, and teaching\/training sessions, in order to promote the benefits of having a patient and public involvement group-research group collaborative.<\/p>\n

As our research is pregnancy-related, we also hoped that the group would encourage engagement in research in future pregnancies to develop the ethos of the whole family being part of research studies in the NHS.<\/p>\n


\nWho did you involve and how did you find the right people?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We already had core members of the PPI group, which we established three years ago. However, as time moves on, and babies grow up, we find ourselves with a naturallry dynamic and transient group. Therefore we also approach women who are several months postnatal, had been seen in our preterm birth clinic and had participated in a research project. Before we discharge the women from our clinic during pregnancy, we ask for their permission to add their details to our PPI list and whether they would be happy to be invited to an event in the future.<\/p>\n


\nWere the people you involved given any training? <\/strong><\/p>\n

We invited researchers interested in PPI to observe a meeting before taking an active role in facilitating. Those facilitating the PPI group were all researchers within the prematurity field (e.g. doctors, midwives or scientists). Many facilitators took advantage of PPI study days offered by the college or by the NIHR.<\/p>\n


\nDid you achieve what you set out to do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We gained a good insight into the acceptability of the use of vaginal swabs and soft cup\/mooncup (menstrual cups) for sample collection during pregnancy and how best to collect these samples within the clinical area. Involving the public helped us to write our protocol for a substantial amendment to existing ethics and a patient information leaflet for a new research study, which has now been approved by the ethics committee. We also have created a series of short videos to be shared with the wider research community, an example of which is here:<\/a>