Benefits of patient involvement
Involving people with lung disease as partners in your research offers many benefits. Their lived experience provides valuable insights that can complement scientific expertise. By incorporating their perspectives, you can better understand patients’ needs and priorities, increasing the relevance and potential impact of your research.
The key benefits of involving patients in research include:
- Patients contribute unique insights based on their lived experience of lung disease. These insights can help identify new research questions or relevant outcome measures.
- Patients can advise you on the burden that participation may place on research participants, helping you design and conduct your research in a more patient-friendly way.
- When patients recognise the relevance of your research, they may be more willing to participate in studies. This can support recruitment and contribute to the successful completion of your research.
- Patient involvement can help you reach your target population. Patients can advise on recruitment strategies and help connect your research with relevant communities and networks.
- Research findings may lead to new products or improved treatments. Involving patients can help ensure that these innovations address their needs and may support their acceptance and use in practice.
- Patients can contribute their perspective when interpreting research data, helping you assess whether findings and conclusions are meaningful and relevant to people living with lung disease.
- Meaningful patient involvement can strengthen the relevance, societal value and overall quality of your research, which may also strengthen a research funding application.
- Patient involvement can improve the quality and relevance of your research and may contribute to its suitability for publication in leading scientific journals.