Anthony
Anthony has been involved in health research as a lay representative for about seven years. He started off by volunteering as a research participant and was then invited to join groups as a PPI representative.
Anthony is a retired teacher and education inspector. He has two children aged 43 and 41. Ethnic background: White British.
More about me...
Initially, Anthony got involved in research as a participant. Soon after, he began to receive invitations to sit on committees and join groups as a patient and public involvement representative. His work has included improving service delivery in several healthcare trusts as well as PPI in research.
Anthony believes lay representatives should be included in all aspects of the research process from design to dissemination. He has been extensively involved in several different ways: as a co-applicant on research projects and as a reviewer of funding applications, research protocols and information sheets. He thinks researchers have a duty to give participants clear, reliable information about what taking part involves and that lay representatives can be helpful in ensuring this happens. When he considers any aspect or piece of research Anthony asks himself if it is something that any patient in any situation could understand.
By including people with a diverse range of experiences, researchers can find out what impact their work can have on people and how best to maximise this, and Anthony believes this adds value to research. He believes everyone can be involved in PPI; they don’t need to have a great deal of technical knowledge because life experience is sufficient. Even the simplest questions a lay representative might ask can have an important impact on research.
Curiosity was what initially motivated Anthony to get involved in PPI and he has continued to be involved because his work benefits him and others. He feels he can positively influence research and the way doctors and researchers speak to and think about patients. The benefits of his engagement in PPI far outweigh its cost, which is mainly giving up free time. But, as Anthony said, “What could be more important than talking about the ramifications and the possibilities of research?”
Anthony encouraged researchers to continue to engage PPI representatives and to work with them as partners. He also stressed the importance of disseminating research findings because researchers have a responsibility to do this especially as they have been funded through public money.
As co-researchers, people can get involved in designing studies, collecting and analysing data, and disseminating findings through talks and written papers.
As co-researchers, people can get involved in designing studies, collecting and analysing data, and disseminating findings through talks and written papers.
Anthony is a member of a ‘Research for Patient Benefit’ panel which decides which research proposals will be funded.
Anthony is a member of a ‘Research for Patient Benefit’ panel which decides which research proposals will be funded.
We obviously don't do those which we ourselves have taken part in because we have to be detached and make judgements based on our views of those documents. So you, you then see what the researchers are trying to convince the committee of the value of what they're proposing and so you will have , again, research which is, is by definition not only new but is sometimes doing something which is breaking ground which, for a lay person, you're surprised for two reasons: 1) that somebody has made, that there is a possible connection between doing this and the result, and also sometimes saying, “Well it's surprising that that hasn't been done before,” but you know why it hasn't been done before because the originality is that somebody has just thought that, well there is a connection there; and it is an, an impressive committee to be on in that you realise the breadth as well as the specialist understanding of these clinicians and the way in which they can be detached about the work of their peers where they're looking at people; [heavy rain in background] and they know by name and know the quality of the work and analysing what they're doing and saying that this , this has merit or doesn't have merit.
Anthony feels general members of the public bring a valuable different view.
Anthony feels general members of the public bring a valuable different view.
But it can be things which they've had experience of in, in their lives that may be about trauma, inhibitions; it may be about experience of relatives, you know, "My auntie died of this or had that and she needed this, we didn't know whether we should do this, we couldn't understand what the doctor was saying or what the nurse was saying."
And I think that's, that's one of the main contributions that lay people can make, "What does that mean? What does that mean for me? What does that mean for my friends? What will it mean for the future? Will it make me better? Will it make my auntie better?" So it's the questions isn't it that anybody can bring – why, what, how, when, what if, will it, how soon will it – and sometimes clinical researchers may not, but usually they have, may not have thought of the issues with that simplicity so I'm, I suppose making a case for public and patient involvement to make research as simple as possible in how to understand it, what it's going to achieve and how you tell the public about it.