Patient and Public involvement and engagement is an integral part of developing an effective and acceptable digital therapy. It should be integrated throughout development in an iterative process rather than happening just at the beginning and at the end of the design and implementation stages.
What do we mean by Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE)?
Patient, public involvement and engagement, also called service user involvement, people with lived experience expertise, . It’s main goal is to create research and/ or services that are for the people rather than about the people. It increases the likelihood that the outcome of a research project for example an app intervention is acceptable to the patient group in general. As well as patients PPIE in digital therapy development can involve stakeholders, such as Healthcare professionals, NHS trusts, charities and carers.
PPIE where possible should be included throughout the life cycle of the Digital Therapy development from research priority setting at the funder level, to grant application stage, methods development, to app development, analysis and dissemination.
PPIE can include a number of people and possible roles are:
- Co-applicant
- Collaborator
- Chair or co-chair of the PPI Group
- Steering Group members
- Patient Advisor Group Member
These roles are not mutually exclusive and this list if not exhaustive.
Person-based approach to PPIE
The approach focuses on the perspectives and experiences of the target users.
Inclusive User Centred Design
Inclusive User Centred Design for the Development of Digital Interventions
Resources for PPIE
A list of online resources and examples to help develop PPIE for digital therapy development.
