The HRB Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland’s aims to improve individual patient health and health care through the design, conduct and dissemination of high quality, internationally recognised, randomised trials in Irish primary care, which address important and common problems. A Public and/or Patient Involvement (PPI) Group was established in 2015. Since its establishment, the group has met 29 times (online only since spring 2020), advising primary care researchers from institutions across Ireland. They have, for example, advised on national and international funding applications, GDPR-related issues, and how to establish PPI groups in other areas. They have helped organise six national PPI conferences, and contributed to the development of a Science on Screen documentary. Members of the group are supported at each meeting by a trained facilitator who coordinates group discussions. Individual group members have also attended specific training opportunities, such as grant reviewing with the HRB, and systematic reviews with Evidence Synthesis Ireland. This group now acts as a ‘go-to’ national resource for PPI in primary care research. The work of the group has contributed immensely to the operations and success of the HRB Primary Care CTNI.
The HRB Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland’s Public and/or Patient Involvement (PPI) Group comprises of six public and/or patient (PPI) representatives. The PPI representatives were appointed following a public advertisement process to identify PPI representatives. Representatives come from urban and rural areas, they include a mix of age, nationality and gender. Each person has their own life experiences of interacting with the health care system and with family doctors in particular, which gives an interesting range of experiences to draw on when considering various questions about our research. New expressions of interest are welcome.