ABOUT US

PxP. These three letters represent our ethos in a nutshell.

Standing for ‘For Patients, By Patients’, PxP is entirely led by an international team of experienced patient and public partners. Our mission is to bring resources, mentorship and community to other patient partners in any kind of health research, no matter their experiences as a patient partner. Ultimately, our goal is partnering to make research stronger.

The PxP conference will be a highlight of this initiative and is taking place for the first time this year.

You are invited to join us! Save the dates for September 12-14 (for those in North and South America), or 13-15 (Asia and Australia). We are looking forward to being joined by participants from across the globe!  More info here.

PxP Logo is three circles of the same size. These are purple, green and purple and each contain a letter from the brand name PxP. Underneath the PxP logo reads 'For Patients, By Patients'

What is patient engagement?

Individuals with lived experience bring hugely valuable perspectives to health research scientists. Patients, relatives, caregivers, and the general public have unique expertise which complements the scientific and medical background of the researchers. This makes health research stronger at every step in the process. ‘Patient engagement’ is one term which is often used to describe this broader involvement in health research projects. ‘Patient and public involvement’ is another phrase that is commonly used. Often, the individual with lived experience will be called a ‘patient partner’.

Patient partners may be asked to provide input in many different ways to a research project or initiative. This could include giving thoughts on the initial concept, methods, results, and more, including how to get the research findings to the people who need it. Research teams may involve patient partners in all kinds of health research projects, from basic science (looking at very specific mechanisms in the human body) to clinical studies (such as investigating new treatments).

It is worth mentioning that ‘patient engagement’ in health research is distinctly different from signing up to be a research participant. Taking part in a study as a participant (for example trying a new treatment or management program) can be a great way to help advance healthcare, but the role would not generally include giving input into the research study itself.

Why is PxP unique?

We like to think we’re unique in lots of ways, but let’s start with these two:

  1. We are led entirely By Patients. Every single resource in the PxP hub, and topic on the PxP conference program, has been chosen by our committee of patient partners.
  2. PxP is specifically For Patients. While there has been excellent progress in the available patient engagement resources, many of these are designed for research teams. We welcome researchers and others to join us at the event in September, but our key priority will be patient partners.
A person wearing spectacles is looking at their computer on their lap. They are sitting in a wheelchair and the background is unclear but looks corporate, like an office.

How can I get involved?

💜 Join our virtual event in September! Whether you can get involved across all three days, or pop by for one session, we’d love to see you there.

👋 Say hi! Send us an email, or give us a follow on social media.

Supporter

PxP is made possible thanks to the support of CIHR-IMHA. Read about their team here.
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