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

这项研究是由新冠肺炎预防措施(如社交距离)带来的向非面对面、远程形式的患者公共参与和参与(PPIE)的转变推动的。远程工作包括使用数字技术，例如：在线会议软件(Zoom、微软团队)、电子邮件、电话和社交媒体(WhatsApp、Facebook)。由于采取了屏蔽和社交距离等措施，让公众参与包括面对面会议和活动在内的研究的通常方式是不可能的，即使最终放松了封锁，远程工作也可能继续下去。这给确保社会各界参与卫生和社会保健研究带来了特殊的挑战。在那些使用或能够使用数字技术的人和那些没有使用数字技术的人之间，存在着一个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有可能进一步排斥已经处于不利地位的群体。该项目旨在促进和改进远程进行PPIE的方式，并增加参与卫生和社会保健研究的公共贡献者的多样性。我们的目标是：1.通过以下方式了解远程工作的障碍和促进者：a.探索公共贡献者和PPIE专业人员远程PPIE的经验。B.探索公众贡献者对不同类型的远程工作的偏好。制定改进远程工作的机制，并通过以下方式增加PPIE的多样性：a.对研究和“如何指导”进行快速审查。开发培训包。我们将在英国各地招募参与研究项目的公共贡献者：NIHR、慈善机构、大学和其他研究组织以及参与PPIE的专业人员。这是一项混合方法的研究：调查、定性访谈和离散选择实验。我们将对PPIE的远程工作如何受到社会经济和健康不平等的影响进行分析，提出改进做法的建议，并制定培训方案。

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.