Patient & Public Involvement (PPI)
Group – Information Sheet
Optimise Project – Men’s Health (LUTS/BPH)
My name is Charlotte Hollands, and I am currently a PhD student at the University of Winchester.
I am working alongside Dr Margaret Husted, a Health Psychologist, as part of a wider team collaborating with the NHS to explore treatment decision making and patient experience.
Specifically, we have a current project looking at men’s experiences and treatment decision making in relation to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS).
We are looking to create a Patient & Public Involvement (PPI) group of around 5-8 people to help us with this research.
Who would we like to have in our PPI group?
We would like to involve men from any background and location between the ages of 45-85 years.
You do NOT need to have had treatment for BPH or LUTS or even have experienced symptoms – but we would greatly appreciate your involvement if you have.
We would also like to talk to partners or family members of men who HAVE experienced BPH or LUTS.
What would you need to do if you were a member of the PPI group?
You may be asked to take part in focus groups/one-to-one conversations or read and respond to research materials. For example, the wording of information materials we plan to use, how we plan to undertake the research, whether our interpretation of results appears to match your experiences etc.
This will happen at several different times over the 3-year period of my PhD, but it is not a regular commitment. Ideally, we would like to have your involvement throughout the project but also understand that that is not always possible.
PPI members are given a nominal payment to thank you for your support and time (normally £25 per hour).
You do not need to have had any research experience before, we are interested in YOUR experiences and perspectives!