Remote working in patient public involvement in health and social care research - responding to Covid-19 and rising health inequalities

这项研究是由新型冠状病毒预防措施（如社交距离）带来的患者公众参与和参与（PPIE）工作向非面对面远程形式的转变所推动的。远程工作包括使用数字技术，例如：在线会议软件（Zoom，Microsoft Teams），电子邮件，电话和社交媒体（WhatsApp，Facebook）。由于屏蔽和社交距离等措施，让公众参与研究的通常方式，包括面对面的会议和活动是不可能的，即使最终放松封锁，远程工作也可能继续下去。这对确保社会各阶层参与卫生和社会保健研究带来了特别的挑战。在使用或有机会获得数字技术的人与没有使用或没有获得数字技术的人之间存在着有据可查的数字鸿沟。这种数字鸿沟反映了现有的社会经济不平等，远程进行的PPIE有可能进一步排除已经处于不利地位的群体。本项目旨在促进和改善远程进行PPIE的方式，并增加参与健康和社会护理研究的公共贡献者的多样性。我们的目标是：1.了解远程工作的障碍和促进因素，通过：a.探索公共贡献者和PPIE专业人员远程PPIE的经验。B.探索公共贡献者对不同类型远程工作的偏好。制定实施远程工作改进的机制和增加PPIE多样性的方法：a.对研究和“如何指导”进行快速审查。开发培训包。我们将招募参与英国各地研究项目的公共贡献者：NIHR，慈善机构，大学和其他研究机构以及专业参与PPIE的人员。这是一项混合方法的研究：调查，定性访谈和离散选择实验。我们将分析PPIE中的远程工作如何受到社会经济和健康不平等的影响，提出改进实践的建议并开发培训包。

This study has been prompted by the shift to non-face-to-face - remote - forms of working in patient public involvement and engagement (PPIE) brought on by Covid-19 prevention measures (such as social distancing). Working remotely includes using digital technologies such as: online conferencing software (Zoom, Microsoft Teams), emails, telephone calls and social media (WhatsApp, Facebook). Due to measures such as shielding and social distancing the usual ways of involving the public in research that included face-to-face meetings and events are not possible, and even with the eventual easing of lockdown, remote working is likely to continue. This creates particular challenges for ensuring access and engagement from all parts of society in health and social care research. There is a well-documented digital divide between those who use or have access to digital technologies and those who do not. This digital divide reflects the existing socio-economic inequalities, and PPIE that takes place remotely has the potential to further exclude already disadvantaged groups.This project aims to facilitate and improve ways of doing PPIE remotely and increase the diversity of public contributors involved in health and social care research.Our objectives are to:1. Understand the barriers and facilitators to remote working, by:a. Exploring public contributors and PPIE professionals' experiences of remote PPIE. b. Exploring public contributors' preferences for different types of remote working.2. Develop mechanisms for implementing improvements in remote working and ways to increase diversity in PPIE by:a. Conducting a rapid review of research and 'how to guides'.b. Develop training packages.We will recruit public contributors involved in research projects across the UK: the NIHR, charities, universities and other research organisations and people involved professionally with PPIE. This is a mixed-methods study with: surveys, qualitative interviews, and a discrete choice experiment. We will produce an analysis of how remote working in PPIE is affected by socio-economic and health inequalities, make recommendations for improving practice and develop training packages.