A session on PPIE in health economics was held at the launch event of the new NIHR economics group in Manchester on 13th October 2025. Thank you to those who attended, the discussion was rich. Read the feedback from this session's group work.
Three questions were explored in the group work undertaken as part of the PPIE in health Economics Session held on the 13th October 2025 at the NIHR Economics Group Launch Event in Manchester:
- what enables and hinders PPIE in health and care economics research?
- what are the key priorities for moving PPIE in HE forward?
- how would you like to see a community of practice develop?
What enables and hinders PPIE in health and care economics research?
Enablers of PPIE in health and care economics
Participants identified that patient and public involvement was important to identify different aspects and different perspectives. Meaningful involvement was more likely to be feasible where:
- researcher(s) have a passion and belief
- researcher(s) have connections to communities and PPI groups
- public interest
- involving patients and public early in the research lifecycle
- funding and budgets for involvement in grants
- engagement with third sector agencies exists
- dedicated meetings are organised for this aspect
- where PPIE is well embedded in the wider research team and grant
Potential future enablers
The groups identified activities or support that don’t currently exist but would be useful to develop to enable meaningful involvement. This included:
- developing PPIE champions
- forums for discussing PPIE practices
- case studies by type and size of research
- training
- resources using creative methods
- information about how to get the ethics/ethos right and protect your participants
- links with people who can support
- feedback
What hinders PPIE in health and care economics?
Language
- the word “economics”.
- wide issue of communicating in plain English to all stakeholders.
- explaining “technical” bits.
- Lack of adequate involvement of economists from the start of studies.
Lack of resources and time
- competing demands.
- funding for PPI involvement – how to ‘pay’ people?.
- no planned approach/afterthought.
- need to identify areas that could most benefit from PPIE.
- poor experience of health care puts people off being involved.
Lack of training for economists and public contributors.
Difficult to know target population representation/who to involve.
Concerns about lack of representativeness
- difficult to know target population representation/who to involve.
- accessing the “tight” people.
- people might feel exploited.
Concerns about doing it properly (i.e. inclusive, co-production etc).
Privacy concerns about data.
Need to demonstrate “so what” for the implications.
How would you like to see a community of practice develop?
In terms of how participants would like to see a community of practice develop there was some overlap with the key priorities. Ideas for how the community of practice may work:
- form a network to share knowledge and experiences.
- online or in a virtual space because of lack of funding.
- develop a LinkedIN group.
- have a launch event.
- publish a Health Economics letter – call to action.
- explore if there is NIHR co-ordinating centre funding.
Ideas for what the community of practice may provide:
- learning from statisticians/methodologists.
- identify where PPIE is relevant and when PPIE is impactful.
- develop ways of explaining core concepts (animations, toolkits etc).
- correct terminology for the correct context.
- getting feedback about best practice for different types of economic evaluation.
- webinars by different types of economic evaluation (qual versus quali, primary vs secondary; HTA, policy evaluation) at all research stages.
- sharing examples of what hasn’t been successful.
- recognising health economics is more than cost effectiveness.
- increasing PPIE skills could increase successful fellowship applications.
- clarity on funding (not just rates but approaches and what is value for money e.g. your overall budget).
- using PPI for policy making/dissemination policy workshop.
- linking up with NGOs/charities.
- include international perspectives.