Patient and Public Involvement

INFANT researchers recognise that a Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Strategy is essential to bring academic and patient communities together to support a portfolio of perinatal clinical research studies that provide insights from the viewpoint of both patient and researchers.

INFANT studies involve parental/participant consent of vulnerable populations often in emergency situations, a public patient involvement approach greatly benefits the planning and retention of these groups. As this research is centred on making pregnancy safer and improving health outcomes for mothers and babies a targeted PPI strategy is most appropriate. INFANT researchers are encouraged to identify all key stakeholder groups involved in their research studies as early as possible. Engaging with these stakeholders through INFANT’s existing networks and active advocacy groups provides rich targeted feedback from people with real-life experience.

Lay members are more focused on the practical aspects and outcomes of research and how it can affect patients and their careers. They raise practical questions about study design and are invaluable in focusing researchers on meaningful outcomes. Researchers in INFANT are identifying and including appropriate PPI representatives as members of project steering committees as early as possible in their projects.