Citizen Science: The People's Trial

Randomised trials are instrumental in providing reliable and robust evidence on the benefits, harms and costs of health care, so that people can make informed choices. However, the general public?s understanding of randomised trials can be limited and ensuring public support for and participation in trials remains challenging. The proposed 'People's Trial' aims to enhance public understanding of randomised trials by facilitating the involvement of the public in the trial research process. We will establish an online platform through which the general public will be invited to be involved in all steps of the trial process from question prioritisation through intervention and outcome selection, randomisation, data collection etc. to dissemination. Using this novel approach to involve the public in designing, conducting and reporting a randomised trial will not only enhance the public understanding of randomised trials but will also provide an opportunity for sharing learning around what works best to involve the public in all steps of a trial process. This in turn will help influence other trials to be better designed and implemented in the future. This is vital in an era of growing concerns about the conduct of poor research, the relevance of research to end-users and the cost of research waste. We believe this proposed novel project will not only engage the general public, but do so in a fun way, and for the first time fully showcase the full steps involved in a trial, leading to meaningful and lasting public understanding.

Award Date

27 September 2018

Award Value

€59,984.38

Principal Investigator

Professor Declan Devane

Host Institution

National University of Ireland, Galway

Scheme

Knowledge Exchange and Dissemination Scheme