Involving Service Users In Health And Social Care Research

Service user involvement in research can range from the extremes of being the subject, to being the initiator or investigator, of a research study. The activity of the professional researcher can also range from being the person undertaking the research, to being a partner with, or mentor to, service users. This broad scope of levels of involvement is reflected in the contributions in this book, both in the research experiences reported and in the writing of the chapters themselves. With contributions coming from a range of service areas including learning disabilities, cancer care, older people and mental illness, chapters look at important research issues such as: strategies for working in true partnership avoiding ‘tokenism’ involving service users at all stages of the research process communication and terminology involving service users of different ages and experience training needs of professionals and service users problems surrounding ‘payment’ for service users other ethical and practical issues. This book is invaluable reading for researchers in health and social care from academic, professional and service user backgrounds.

This book represents a major contribution to the development and increasingly accepted importance of involving service users in research. It argues that this development is neither a fad nor a cure-all, and highlights the strengths, weaknesses, benefits, and costs of the approach. Using reflexive questions and practical examples to challenge the reader to consider their own position in relation to these issues, this book should occupy a central place on the shelves of all undergraduate health and social welfare students.

User involvement is now official policy throughout the health and social care system. Does this mean that user involvement practices are unproblematic? Has it lost its radical edge as it has become an accepted part of service delivery, research and policy making? This important text offers a critical stocktake of the state of user involvement, comprising contributions from both user activists and leading academics. The contributors consider different contexts in which involvement is taking place, both in the groups involved and the activities they are engaged in, and includes different and sometimes conflicting perspectives on issues such as whether we should measure the impact of involvement. This valuable collection will be a crucial resource for students in health and social care and in social work, for researchers developing participative research practice, and for user activists seeking to learn how others have developed distinctive ways of challenging professional perspectives. Book jacket.

This book provides a definitive critical introduction to service user views and involvement. It addresses both the theoretical and practical issues of service user involvement, and includes initiatives on the impact and outcomes from involvement.

During recent decades a strong interest has grown in actively involving service users in social work education, research and policy development. Drawing on a major European Social Fund project, this book presents an overview of inspiring collaborative models that have proven their efficacy and sustainability. Contributions from service users, lecturers and researchers from across Europe provide detailed case studies of good practice, exploring the value framework behind the model and considering their added value from a user, teacher and student perspective. The book concludes with a series of reflective chapters, considering key issues and ethical dilemmas.

This is a timely book, given the increasing emphasis on user participation in both research and health and social service provision, that can be read in conjunction with a more general book on research..." David Hicks, Liverpool John Moores University, UK User participation in research is still in its relative infancy with many practical, ethical, moral, methodological and philosophical questions unanswered. This text gathers together an international set of authors to explore these issues and begin to forge some practical solutions to each of these concerns. The book includes contributions on the use and application of narrative approaches, intervention and evaluation research, methodological development and quality thresholds. It provides a practical framework for all groups wishing to undertake research based on the principles and values of user participation. The book is structured around ten original case studies which explore the use of participatory methods in practice with a variety of groups across diverse health, social care and community settings. These include older people, including those with dementia, people with learning disability, mental health service users and their carers, and children and young people. Unique and often groundbreaking studies from Australia, Sweden, the UK, and the USA are used to illustrate application of theory to research practice. In addition the text: Considers the issues, challenges and rewards of user participation research Draws on the actual experience of doing research and working with users Includes the voices and contributions of users in reporting research User Participation in Health and Social Care Research: Voices, Values and Evaluation is key reading for students, researchers, practitioners and users themselves wishing to undertake participative research involving service users.

This book fills an important niche in the market providing practical expert advice on the involvement of service users - patients, carers and the public - in nursing and healthcare research. An invaluable guide for anyone working or involved in nursing and healthcare research, this book provides a step-by-step guide to the principles and process of involvement, including understanding the rationale for involvement, designing involvement, working with service users, and evaluating what has been achieved. With illustrations, worked examples and tool sheets throughout, this evidence-based guide uses real life examples from recent research studies in health and social care research, thus relating theory to practice in a meaningful way. The Handbook of Service User Involvement in Nursing & Healthcare Research introduces a wide range of key issues, including: Why? Why should researchers involve service users? How? How can researchers and service users work together successfully and productively? Who? Who chooses to become involved in research? How are issues of representation and diversity addressed? When? At what stage should service users be involved in the research process?

This major new textbook will take a fresh look at professions and professionalism - what these terms mean and what they need to mean in the future in the health and social care field. Written by experienced teachers, the textbook: reviews the evidence on team and inter-professional working, teasing out the new perspectives and the skills required; examines what professional development entails and what it means in different fields of practice; tackles ethical dilemmas of practice alongside changing concepts in society of accountability; explores current debates about how professionals can be supported in their practice and how their performance is best regulated; and highlights the contribution that practitioners can make