Patient participation groups: the national picture

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Research
• Health Services Research
• Patient Engagement Studies

Background:

• Research synthesized findings from the National Association for Patient Participation (NAPP) between 2005 and 2009.
• Investigated general practitioner (GP) surgeries with and without patient participation groups (PPGs).
• Examined the perspectives of NAPP-affiliated PPGs regarding their roles, organization, and support needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand the prevalence, activities, and attitudes towards PPGs in English GP practices.
• To identify the support requirements for PPGs to maximize their success and impact.
• To explore challenges and propose future research directions for PPGs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized postal surveys sent to over 4000 English practices across three studies.
• Included an online, UK-wide members' survey for NAPP-affiliated PPGs.
• Data collected on PPG prevalence, location, activities, practice attitudes, and PPG needs.

Main Results:

• PPGs are recognized for providing the patient perspective and are active in health promotion, information dissemination, and fundraising.
• Attitudes of practices, particularly those without PPGs, were assessed.
• Identified key areas for PPG development: promotion strategies, primary care trust support, and broader patient representation.

Conclusions:

• PPGs play a multifaceted role beyond just the patient perspective, contributing to various practice and community health initiatives.
• Central challenges involve strategies for increasing PPG prevalence, the necessity of support from primary care organizations, and enhancing PPGs' representative capacity.
• A future research agenda is proposed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of PPGs across their diverse activities.