Mainstreaming public involvement in a complex research collaboration: A theory-informed evaluation

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Organizational Studies
• Public Engagement in Science

Background:

• Extensive literature exists on public involvement (PI) in research, focusing on individual project experiences and enablers.
• Less attention has been given to a systemic approach for embedding PI across entire research organizations, from governance to project levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how combining mainstreaming and quality conceptualization frameworks can illuminate the embedding of PI within a research organization.
• To investigate the effectiveness of a whole-system approach to integrating public involvement.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the evaluation of a large UK research collaboration.
• Collected primary data through interviews and workshops with 131 respondents (Public Advisers, university, NHS, and local government staff).
• Analyzed secondary data from monitoring and internal documents.

Main Results:

• The organization successfully mainstreamed PI, establishing a vision and infrastructure for embedding it at all levels.
• Increased opportunities and clearer PI roles led to public contributors feeling more influential.
• Full mainstreaming was hindered by a lack of staff buy-in, resulting in inconsistent positive experiences of PI.

Conclusions:

• Combining theoretical frameworks offers a novel perspective for evaluating the quality of PI across organizational structures and processes.
• This integrated approach can aid in assessing and improving public involvement research effectively.