Involving users in evaluation: The social relations of user participation in health research

Abstract

User involvement has become a central tenet of government policy regarding health and social care. Likewise, the role of 'evidence' is seen as being at the heart of effective planning and delivery of health services (Our Healthier Nation, 1999). This paper examines the role of user involvement in evaluative research within the provision of an evidence base related to practice development. By focusing on the role of participatory research in the creation of an evidence base for healthcare provision, the authors explore the nature and possibilities of user involvement in providing an evidence base within a community mental health service. The paper identifies factors that may facilitate or inhibit user involvement and participation in evaluative research. It is argued that whilst the effective involvement of users may improve the quality and validity of research evidence, user participation in the research process is both contextual and contingent. For users to participate in the research process in a meaningful way requires changes in the way that research is commissioned and assessed so that the nature of user involvement may become viable. The authors suggest that the creation of evidence in health research is shaped by the social relations of the research process as well as by the methodologies used.