Making patient involvement in trial oversight committees work better: early findings from 8 trials

What is it about?

This conference poster presented preliminary findings from the ethnographic study of eight UK clinical trials facing challenges, focusing specifically on patient and public involvement (PPI) within trial oversight committees. Drawing on observed meetings and interviews with Trial Steering Committee members, trial management staff, public contributors, sponsors and funders, the work examined how public contributors experienced their role in trial oversight, how their contributions were received by other committee members, and what structural and relational factors enabled or constrained meaningful participation. The poster reported early results ahead of the fuller publications, highlighting key themes around tokenism, the conditions under which public involvement adds genuine value to trial governance, and practical recommendations for improving PPI practice in oversight committees.

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Why is it important?

Conference dissemination of these findings before full publication was important for the trials methodology community, which was actively debating how to strengthen PPI in research governance at a time when it was becoming a funder requirement rather than an optional feature. Presenting early findings at the International Clinical Trials Methodology Conference allowed the research team to receive feedback from trialists, funders and patient advocates, refining the work before it appeared in its full peer-reviewed form. The poster represents an important step in the knowledge translation pipeline that ultimately produced the fully published ethnographic studies on PPI and trial oversight contributing to updated MRC guidance.