STUDY

1. Finding PPI Contributors

A role specification & person specification

It is often helpful to create a role specification and a person specification which clarify the types of people who will be required as PPI Contributors. This would include what the responsibilities of the PPI role are, the conditions under which that role operates and the types of knowledge, skills and experiences it would be hoped that the PPI contributor would have in order to fulfil that role.

One note of caution in using this process, however, is that this needs to be written and communicated in a way that is appropriate for the audience. These can very quickly become officious and far more formal than the role will be. They may also be seen as something that will be adjudicated upon, even if the contributor role is self-selecting.

Areas that can be covered in a role specification are:

• The background to the role and the organisation;
• The expected responsibilities of the PPI contributor;
• The responsibilities of the organisation toward the PPI contributor;
• How long the role will continue;
• What training and ongoing supports will be supplied;
• Whether there will be a payment or reimbursement of expenses;
• Organisational contact details for further information.

Areas that can be covered in a person specification are:

• The experiences of the PPI contributor;
• The knowledge of the PPI contributor;
• The skills or personal attributes of the PPI contributor.

This can then be helpful in working out how to find these PPI contributors and what type of finding process you wish to engage in.

Finding Process

Please keep in mind that finding PPI contributors is not the same as recruiting participants in a study. With a PPI contributor, you are not random sampling; you are looking for someone who you can work with that has insights into your research area through their lived experience.

The following are some options:

• Contact a support group or NGO for help with finding appropriate people (note that NGOs and support groups may not be able to provide support to this work due to limited resources);
• Use your wider professional network to find PPI contributors who have worked on other projects in your field of interest or those in allied areas;
• Use your wider social network to seek out appropriate people who would be willing to become a PPI contributor;
• Use an open finding approach, advertising for the role. If it will be a paid post, this may be a funder or institutional requirement. 

See an example of a Role and Person Specification in the APPLY Section.