Last week I was invited to attend HETTNorth by NHS England as a Patient Representative and take part in a roundtable discussion. It was clear to me that Public Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) in healthcare / innovation is often seen through different lenses by various stakeholders.

Patients appreciate having their voices heard, yet they may harbor concerns about being exploited in the process.

Innovators frequently view PPIE as a mere box-ticking exercise for grant applications, questioning its commercial value during the early stages of product development.

Care providers and hospitals on the other hand, face challenges in dedicating staff to engage with patients and are constrained by chronic understaffing, data protection issues, etc…

I wondered if there is another perspective on PPIE…

Patients, innovators, and healthcare providers can all benefit from successful PPIE activities:

Patients are excited by new products and technologies that target real-world experiences and unmet needs. User-friendly products deliver high levels of adherence, and engagement strategies significantly improve health outcomes [1]:

19%
Patient education interventions improved knowledge scores
50% Reduction
in hospital admissions gained from self-management support programs

Innovators often view PPIE as a box-ticking exercise but early engagement with patient groups, advocates, and support organizations provides a direct connection to the target market. This approach reduces time to market and helps prevent wasted resources when there’s no product-market fit. It’s a core concept in a ‘lean startup’ [2]

20% reduction
in costs from PPIE in clinical trial design recruitment
15% increase
in adoption of cost-effective technologies that received patient input in health technology assessments

NHS and care providers face significant issues with adherence to prescribed treatments. Particularly in expensive chronic conditions where adherence is around 50% (according to WHO). Medical products and services with high levels of customer/patient satisfaction can deliver high levels of adherence, increasing efficiency and reducing healthcare delivery costs [3]:

£5 million
Estimated cost savings per year from PPIE in health technology assessment – UK's National Health Service.
30% Increase
in guideline adherence by healthcare professionals due to patient involvement in guideline development.

A Win-Win-Win Scenario

A View of PPIE from this perspective suggests that all three groups can benefit:

  • Patients get products that truly meet their needs, leading to better health outcomes.

  • Innovators gain direct access to their target market, reducing development time and R&D costs.

  • Healthcare providers see improved treatment adherence, increasing efficiency and reducing management costs.

💡

Key Insight

Effective PPIE is not just about ticking boxes! It’s about creating a collaborative environment where patient insights help to drive innovation, leading to better products, improved health outcomes, and more efficient healthcare delivery.

References

  1. Coulter, A., & Ellins, J. (2007). Effectiveness of strategies for informing, educating, and involving patients. Health Services Research, 42(2), 569-590.
  2. Boivin, A., et al. (2014). Patient and public involvement in health research: A systematic review. Health Expectations, 17(3), 301-315.
  3. Fitzgerald, J., et al. (2020). The economic impact of patient involvement in health technology assessment. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 36(3), 239-246.