PARTNER: A Toolbox for Patient and Public Involvement Governance Within Health Professions Education Research

The PARTNER framework offers a practical approach to patient and public involvement governance within health professions education research. It has been created by the NIHR-funded Workforce Voices Partnership, drawing on the experience of academics, operations staff and public contributors in establishing PPI panels. Although there is agreement that patient and public involvement matters for health professions education research, there is little accessible guidance regarding the governance required to support it. Governance encompasses the structures, decisions and practical arrangements that enable patient and public involvement to be fair, purposeful and sustainable. This includes logistics but also the principles and expectations that help panels function well. Clearer guidance is needed to enable research teams to move from broad commitments to coproduction of research, towards establishing and maintaining conditions that allow for meaningful, sustainable involvement. The PARTNER framework is built around seven areas of governance. Workforce Voices have found key to facilitating meaningful involvement: (1) payment and recognition; (2) agreement; (3) roles and responsibilities; (4) training and support; (5) networking; (6) equity of recruitment and membership; and (7) review, evaluation and feedback. Each area of the framework is linked to practical tools, templates and tips that can be adapted for readers' own research projects. The aim of this toolbox is to offer a structure for novice or developing researchers to navigate PPI governance with confidence and in a way that promotes meaningful engagement and involvement.