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Combining qualitative research with PPI: reflections on using the person-based approach for developing behavioural interventions

Combining qualitative research with PPI: reflections on using the person-based approach for developing behavioural interventions
Combining qualitative research with PPI: reflections on using the person-based approach for developing behavioural interventions
Background
The value and importance of qualitative research and Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) for developing complex health interventions is widely recognised. However, there is often confusion between the two, with researchers relying on just one of these approaches, rather than using the two alongside one another.

Methods
The Person-Based Approach (PBA) to developing health-related behaviour change interventions adapts and integrates methods from user-centred design and qualitative research. The PBA involves qualitative research at multiple stages of interventions to ensure they are acceptable, feasible, meaningful, and optimally engaging to the people who will use them. The qualitative research is carried out with research participants from a target population, who have no prior or continuing involvement in the wider research process and see the intervention from a fresh perspective. This enables in-depth understanding of the views and experiences of a wide range of target users and the contexts within which they engage with behavioural change.

PPI in research is carried out with or by members of the public and is a key part of the research process. PPI contributors are involved at all stages of research design and interpretation. PPI provides input into interventions as members of the research team alongside other stakeholders, such as health professionals and behaviour change experts.

Results
We advocate using qualitative research alongside PPI at all stages of intervention planning, development, and evaluation. We illustrate this with examples from recent projects developing complex health interventions, highlighting examples where PPI and PBA have pulled in different directions and how we have approached this, how PPI have helped optimise interventions based on PBA feedback, and how we have engaged PPI in community settings.

Conclusions
PPI provides a valuable alternative to the traditional researcher-led approaches, which can be poorly matched to the needs of target users. Combining PPI with the PBA can help to create optimally engaging interventions by incorporating a greater diversity of feedback than would have been possible to achieve through PPI or qualitative approaches alone.
2056-7529
1-8
Muller, Ingrid
2569bf42-51bd-40da-bbfd-dd4dbbd62cad
Santer, Miriam
3ce7e832-31eb-4d27-9876-3a1cd7f381dc
Morrison, Leanne
920a4eda-0f9d-4bd9-842d-6873b1afafef
Morton, Kate
6fa41cd3-ba4d-476c-9020-b8ef93c7ade7
Roberts, Amanda
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Rice, Cathy
71a008ce-728b-458d-bcb9-7b30a47a5030
Williams, Marney
aed0fd5f-500d-48d9-844f-814b08c037fd
Yardley, Lucy
64be42c4-511d-484d-abaa-f8813452a22e
Muller, Ingrid
2569bf42-51bd-40da-bbfd-dd4dbbd62cad
Santer, Miriam
3ce7e832-31eb-4d27-9876-3a1cd7f381dc
Morrison, Leanne
920a4eda-0f9d-4bd9-842d-6873b1afafef
Morton, Kate
6fa41cd3-ba4d-476c-9020-b8ef93c7ade7
Roberts, Amanda
f5809cd3-5555-41b9-8a04-7ab12849efe5
Rice, Cathy
71a008ce-728b-458d-bcb9-7b30a47a5030
Williams, Marney
aed0fd5f-500d-48d9-844f-814b08c037fd
Yardley, Lucy
64be42c4-511d-484d-abaa-f8813452a22e

Muller, Ingrid, Santer, Miriam, Morrison, Leanne, Morton, Kate, Roberts, Amanda, Rice, Cathy, Williams, Marney and Yardley, Lucy (2019) Combining qualitative research with PPI: reflections on using the person-based approach for developing behavioural interventions. Research Involvement and Engagement, 5, 1-8, [34]. (doi:10.1186/s40900-019-0169-8).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background
The value and importance of qualitative research and Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) for developing complex health interventions is widely recognised. However, there is often confusion between the two, with researchers relying on just one of these approaches, rather than using the two alongside one another.

Methods
The Person-Based Approach (PBA) to developing health-related behaviour change interventions adapts and integrates methods from user-centred design and qualitative research. The PBA involves qualitative research at multiple stages of interventions to ensure they are acceptable, feasible, meaningful, and optimally engaging to the people who will use them. The qualitative research is carried out with research participants from a target population, who have no prior or continuing involvement in the wider research process and see the intervention from a fresh perspective. This enables in-depth understanding of the views and experiences of a wide range of target users and the contexts within which they engage with behavioural change.

PPI in research is carried out with or by members of the public and is a key part of the research process. PPI contributors are involved at all stages of research design and interpretation. PPI provides input into interventions as members of the research team alongside other stakeholders, such as health professionals and behaviour change experts.

Results
We advocate using qualitative research alongside PPI at all stages of intervention planning, development, and evaluation. We illustrate this with examples from recent projects developing complex health interventions, highlighting examples where PPI and PBA have pulled in different directions and how we have approached this, how PPI have helped optimise interventions based on PBA feedback, and how we have engaged PPI in community settings.

Conclusions
PPI provides a valuable alternative to the traditional researcher-led approaches, which can be poorly matched to the needs of target users. Combining PPI with the PBA can help to create optimally engaging interventions by incorporating a greater diversity of feedback than would have been possible to achieve through PPI or qualitative approaches alone.

Text
s40900-019-0169-8 - Version of Record
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 16 October 2019
Published date: 14 November 2019

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 435949
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/435949
ISSN: 2056-7529
PURE UUID: f88a1960-ec99-4362-aed9-c55a43e29aa2
ORCID for Ingrid Muller: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9341-6133
ORCID for Miriam Santer: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7264-5260
ORCID for Leanne Morrison: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9961-551X
ORCID for Kate Morton: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6674-0314
ORCID for Lucy Yardley: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3853-883X

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 25 Nov 2019 17:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:20

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Contributors

Author: Ingrid Muller ORCID iD
Author: Miriam Santer ORCID iD
Author: Leanne Morrison ORCID iD
Author: Kate Morton ORCID iD
Author: Amanda Roberts
Author: Cathy Rice
Author: Marney Williams
Author: Lucy Yardley ORCID iD

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