ABSTRACT
Background/Aim: The engagement of health services users, including patients, caregivers, or community members, in research, known as Patient and Public Involvement (PPI), is a growing and actively research practice and it’s endorsed in several advanced nations like Canada, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Policymakers, researchers, and research funding bodies universally acknowledge that patients and the public should be "involved" in research. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of community older adults and healthcare professionals regarding the need for patients and the public in health research in Benin City. Methodology: This study was a qualitative study that used a semi-structured interview and focus group discussion respectively. Purposive sampling technique was used to recruit 6 geriatric healthcare professionals (2 physiotherapists 2 nurses and 2 Medical doctors) working in University of Benin Teaching Hospital and 10 community older adults comprising two groups of five persons. Questions regarding the perception towards the need for PPI in health research were asked, and responses were freely given. The data collected was transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The two doctors were females, whilst the nurses were one male and one female and physiotherapists included one female and one male. Seven of the older adults were female and three were male. Two themes identified included gross ignorance, misconceptions, lack of familiarity with the concept of PPI in health research, implementation issues such as insecurity, financial concern, lack of trust, and personal factors i.e., researcher’s attitude and potential participant’s decision. Conclusion: The findings of this project showed that healthcare professionals and community older adults recognized the importance of involving patients and the public in health research but may lack comprehensive understanding of PPI. Participants identified various challenges hindering the implementation of PPI in health research, such as trust issues, security concerns, financial constraints, language barriers, and personal factors. Addressing these issues may promote meaningful engagement, improve healthcare outcomes and ensure a successful implementation of PPI in Nigeria. Keywords: Patient and public involvement (PPI), community older adults, healthcare professionals, health research, perception.
