The Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) has released its ‘Charities in action: involving patients and the public’ spotlight report today. Using charity case studies, the report includes examples of how medical research charities are involving patients and the public at all stages of the research pathway, from prioritising research topics and designing the research, to influencing research decisions.
The AMRC is clear that public involvement has been shown to improve research quality and impact, and that it is a moral imperative that the voice of the patients and the public has an impact on the research that will affect them. The spotlight report highlights that 91% of AMRC member charities involve patients in their research, strategy or influencing work.
Brain Tumour Research also recognises the importance of involving patients and carers in research at all levels and, to enable this, we fund our Member Charity brainstrusts’ Patient Research Involvement Movement (PRIME), which is focused on ensuring clinical research projects are aligned with the needs of patients.
PRIME will bring people with direct experience of living with a brain tumour into contact with the clinical research community where they can have input and help shape studies and secure funding for research and clinical trials.
Dr Karen Noble, our Director of Research, Policy and Innovation, said: “Brain tumour patients are at the heart of everything we do and we are very keen to enable meaningful conversations between researchers and patients. To this end we are extremely pleased to be investing in this important collaboration which will help the brain tumour community to feel more involved in shaping the future of research as we work towards our vision of finding a cure for all types of brain tumour.”