Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in healthcare research involves conducting studies with or by patients, rather than just about or for them. This approach is encapsulated in the Latin saying „Nihil de nobis, sine nobis“ and the hashtag #nothingaboutuswithoutus. Patients contribute „experiential knowledge“ from their lived experiences, which provides additional insights beyond those of researchers and clinicians. They work as advisors, consultants, co-creators or even as leaders of a research initiative.

Switzerland is beginning to adopt PPI practices, learning from other healthcare systems. Real-world examples will show the benefits of PPI: from asking relevant research questions to disseminating the results to clinicians and the general public. We will discuss how PPI is relevant to the current challenges of staff shortages and rising costs in healthcare. Foundations can impact the quality of research by encouraging PPI and we will discuss how.

Judith Safford is co-founder and President of the RheumaCura Foundation for people-centred research. She engages as a patient expert in healthcare research, is a member of the SCTO PPI working group, and a PPI expert in the Investigator Initiated Clinical Trials Programme of the Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF.

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