Health economics-based research is beginning to benefit from public patient involvement and engagement (PPIE) but has been limited due to challenges, including maintaining contributor involvement and selecting suitable tasks. PPIE activities can positively impact research outcomes, embedding the voice of the public in research and ensuring outcomes are useful, relevant and may positively impact society at both local and national levels. The planned event will explore the benefits of co-creating health economics research with individuals living with disabilities, their families and community partners. The lead applicant and their research team have recent experience co-designing a dedicated health economic survey to elicit preferences for community-based health care services. This experience will be leveraged upon in the event.
The event will combine a qualitative workshop, employing a World Café approach, and panel discussion with experts in health economics, PPI research activities, healthcare policy and PPI representatives. The World Café approach promotes productive discussions on critical questions through face-to-face discussions, wherein participants draw on their own experiences.
The workshop will strengthen networks, facilitate knowledge exchange, and encourage collaboration between health economists, PPIE representatives and researchers. The workshop aims to generate recommendations for embedding PPIE in health economics, to improve the impact and relevance of future research outputs. Thus, outputs from future research can better inform public policy on community-based care for individuals living with disabilities.
The target audience for this workshop includes service users (i.e. individuals living with disabilities) and their families, community-based health and social care organisations, and representatives from the national health service, given the research’s potential to make a real and positive impact across society improving social wellbeing and service provision sustainability. The following research outputs generated from this workshop will be disseminated online: (i) an accessible short video, (ii) an accessible lay summary and (iii) a peer reviewed publication.
