The PPI Hawker: An innovative method for public involvement in health research

Abstract

Background: A universal challenge in Public Involvement (PPI) in health research is attracting a diversity of patients’ perspectives and experiences. In Singapore, including the public’s voice in research is in its infancy and different ways of involving the public have to be explored.Objective: To design a PPI initiative that enables members of the public to share their ideas and opinions about health research, and then to assess its feasibility in the Singaporean community.Study design: Building on the concept of the PPI Café we designed a PPI Hawker for Singapore. Observations and reflexive field notes were used to evaluate the PPI Hawker’s feasibility, acceptability and utility.Results: From three PPI hawkers we were able to engage 72 members of the public in discussions about a population-based research study for which the researchers wanted to better understand the public’s perspective on various aspects of research design. Three quarters of those approached agreed to participate, indicating the feasibility of this method. PPI participants came from the three major ethnic groups in Singapore and were broad in age, suggesting PPI Hawkers are easily accessible. The majority of participants were willing to discuss all of the questions posed by the researchers. Both participants and researchers recognised the utility of the PPI Hawker, reflecting on people’s willingness to talk about the research issues, engaging in informative conversations and posing relevant questions.Discussion: The PPI Hawkers succeeded in engaging the public in conversations about a local population-based study. The public brought to the researchers’ attention a variety of previously unheard perspectives about the research. Each event fostered connectivity between professionals and the public, generating among researchers a more positive perception of the power of public involvement.Conclusion: PPI Hawkers provide an opportunity for meaningful co-design and co-conduct of research studies with diverse members of the public. They create a focus within a community setting for researchers to engage with the public. The resources needed (costs and preparatory time) are relatively few. Not only do PPI Hawkers have potential in Singapore, but also for the rest of Asia.