“So, how do I take part in research anyway?”
We’ve had a lot of conversations with people in communities across Peterborough over the last few years about what research is, and how to take part in it. One response we often get is that people do know what health and care research is, but they might never have been invited to take part in it or know how to find information about it.
All of the work we do centres around the idea that participation in health and care research should be as diverse as possible, so hearing this presents us with a bit of a problem.
If you’ve been following the work PCVS does around health inequalities (have a read here if you’re unfamiliar), you’ll know that we’ve been working with Community Research Champions to help us reach more people and increase awareness of research. This work continues, and we’ll have more updates to share with you soon, but we wanted to take this chance to answer that question:
“So, how do I take part in health and care research, anyway?”
One way, that our colleagues at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) have been developing and that we are helping to promote, is called Be Part of Research, a free online service that helps you get involved.
Signing up is easy, and once you’ve let the platform know what health conditions you’re interested in and in what area, it finds you a list of health and care research studies to take part in, and lets you know how to join then, who to contact, and how you will get thanked for your time.
Not every study involves going to a medical setting or giving a sample. With Be Part of Research it becomes even more flexibly; if you only want to take part in studies you can do in your spare time at home, you’ve got that option!
Visit https://bit.ly/peterboroughresearch or follow the QR code to find out more! And if you’re a researcher or community member thinking you’d like to get involved, please don’t hesitate to contact us at co*********@*****co.uk, or 01733 342683.
– James