Academic Staff Perspective of the Perceived Impact of Patient and Public Involvement in Nursing and Social Work Education

Abstract

In the last three decades, the United Kingdom (UK) has witnessed a surge in patient and public involvement in health and social care education, research, and practice. However, little is known about its perceived impact on academic staff. This paper explored the perceived impact of patient and public involvement on academic staff using a descriptive phenomenology approach from a tripartite perspective of the three main stakeholders in Higher Education which are: patients/public, academic staff, and students. A total of 38 participants took part. Semi-structured interview was used to gather information and subsequently analyzed thematically. Two main themes emerged-beneficial outcomes to academic staff both personally and professionally as well as concerns about patient and public involvement in a university environment. It is hoped that recognition of the impact of patient and public involvement to academic staff can help to optimize its effectiveness in higher education institutions.