Understanding Co-Creation in a Research Partnership Programme Exploring Patient-Driven Innovations: A Qualitative...

Area of Science:

• Patient and Public Involvement in Research
• Health Services Research
• Qualitative Research Methods

Background:

• Successful co-creation in research hinges on a shared understanding, yet practical applications reveal diverse perspectives.
• This study addresses the variability in how patient innovators and researchers conceptualize and implement co-creation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the evolving understanding of co-creation among patient innovators and researchers within a partnership research program.
• To identify the core components and variations in co-creation conceptualizations.

Main Methods:

• An explorative, longitudinal qualitative study design was employed.
• Fifty-eight interviews were conducted within the 'Patients in the Driver's Seat' partnership research programme.
• Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze interview data.

Main Results:

• Four distinct ways of understanding co-creation were identified and conceptualized using an inputs-process-outputs model.
• Key themes included: combining diverse perspectives (inputs), dynamic and exploratory processes, striving for equity (not equality), and diverse value creation (tangible/intangible outputs).
• These themes collectively illustrate the varied co-creation understandings among partnership members.

Conclusions:

• Co-creation is understood through distinct yet complementary perspectives among patient innovators and researchers.
• The study proposes that co-creation can be viewed as the sum of its essential components: inputs, process, and outputs.
• Enhanced understanding of co-creation aims to improve research relevance for patients and informal caregivers in patient innovation research.