New journal involves patients in the research process:

BioMed Central has launched a new journal with a unique peer-review model to recognize the importance of public input in co-producing knowledge. Research Involvement and Engagement has an Editorial Board that is representative of both patients and academics, with all articles peer reviewed by both groups and carrying equal weight in the Editorial decision.

For the launch, the journal published a study revealing that research on treatments for health problems, such as diabetes, stroke and schizophrenia, was not being focused on the treatments considered most important by patients and clinicians. Co-authored by Iain Chalmers, one of the founders of the Cochrane Collaboration, the study suggests that current research is instead favoring drug treatments over physical or psychological therapies, the latter of which are priorities for patients and clinicians.

Researcher viewpoint from Mark Gilchrist

"Early in my research career, I had the chastening experience of being unable to recruit a single subject to one arm of a three-arm study. The other two arms were recruited without difficulty. The consistent feedback from the patient group required for the third arm was that on top of their regular visits to hospital; the study visits would be an unacceptable burden. I soon realised that PPI groups are better placed to decide whether what is being asked of them in research participation is reasonable and worthwhile. They will often raise issues that neither the originating investigators nor ethics committees had considered. Subsequently, I have proactively involved potential research participants and/or experienced service users at an early stage in my study design."


http://www.researchinvolvement.com/
http://www.researchinvolvement.com/content/1/1/3

Research Involvement and Engagement is an interdisciplinary, health and social care journal focussing on patient and wider involvement and engagement in research, at all stages. The journal is co-produced by all key stakeholders, including patients, academics, policy makers and service users.