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1. Where can PPI occur within your Research Cycle?

In order to plan your PPI plan, you must first be clear about where PPI fits within your research cycle. Considering your research cycle, where can PPI activities naturally be incorporated. Please keep in mind the following adage:

All PPI activity must, in some way, provide a benefit to the research cycle or to the research team. If the activity is not benefitting either the research cycle or the team, then it is not likely to be PPI activity. Returning to the HRB framework for where PPI activities can occur, explore the questions in the context of your own research.

Identifying & Prioritising stage

• What or who is currently driving your research priorities?
• Who currently has a stake in your research being a success beyond your immediate research team?
• Is your research at a stage where the input of patients, service users, carers or interested members of the public could influence your research priorities?

Design stage

• Is there a clear path to impact from your research question or would it be helpful to consider this with those who may benefit from the research?
• Is your research project at a stage where patients, service users, carers or interested members of the public could help you to co-design the research project? Do you have the skills to run a co-design process?
• Have you considered all ethical aspects of the research in advance of submission for adjudication? With whom have you discussed these aspects?
• Are there aspects of your methodology or methods that would benefit from testing by patients, service users, carers or interested members of the public?
• Who is responsible for your recruitment strategy? Are you certain that it will work?

Undertaking/Management stage

• How are you gathering your data? Is there a role for patients, service users, carers or interested members of the public in this process?
• Who are on your project steering & governance groups? Would they benefit from the views of patients, service users, carers or interested members of the public in this process? Who, on these steering or governance groups has a stake in your research being a success?

Analysing & Interpreting stage

• Is there a role for patients, service users, carers or interested members of the public in this process?

Dissemination stage 

• Will the results need to be communicated to patients, service users, carers or interested members of the public? Who will develop those communications and how will they do it in an effective way?
• Will opportunities arise for non-academic public presentations? Will media opportunities arise? Are there academic settings that welcome PPI contributor involvement in presentations?

Implementation stage

• Is impact (beyond academic publications) valued within your institution or field?
• How will the research impact on policy or practice in the area researched?
• How will funders judge the success of this project beyond the final report? Is there anything to make this research project stand out that could benefit future applications?
• Will this research lead to training plans? Who will carry out this training? Is there a role for patients, service users, carers or interested members of the public in this training?

Source: Adapted from HRB website.

Use this planner template to capture where you think PPI can happen within your research.