Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) and co-production means research and health care that is constructed ‘with' or ‘by' members of the public and/or patients rather than ‘on,' ‘to,' ‘about' or ‘for' them. (INVOLVE) This definition makes it clear that co-production is not about being a research participant, answering surveys, being an interviewee or providing a patient opinion. Instead, it is a joint enterprise, and an integral part of healthcare and medical research methods where patients, the public, and other end users of research can be informants, innovators, and distributors of health information.
Co-production considers the voices of clinicians, patients, and researchers to be of equal value to address research question or clinical problems. Co-production is about making best use of each others assets, resources and contributions and working with trust and transparency. Confidence and equality for working together can be reinforced by asserting that the best outcomes do not always come by blanket agreement without discussion but that mutual respect, flexibility, and resilience prepare a climate where everyone is heard and included.
As in all of life often we can resolve challenges by matching co-production partners with tasks they show an aptitude for and have a desire to fulfill rather than expecting them to fill a generic "patient" or "clinician" role.
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