RDF19 Poster Details

Overview: The Royal Marsden Biomedical Research Centre is committed to engaging with patients and public regarding our world-leading research. We have 3x research themes which are tumour specific (breast, prostate and gastrointestinal cancers). We have established a “cookie-cutter” approach to the establishment of a programme of patient/public engagement events – designed to have maximum impact on our audience/stakeholders with minimum effort/fuss for the small administrative team.

Objective: Showcase our “cookie-cutter” approach (which encompasses the following: designing the programme content via theme working groups; advertising using template leaflet/poster designs; engaging with the local community and patients/carers; recording the event via photographic and video means; liaising with charity partners for health promotion; review of all event content by patient representatives to ensure appropriate for a lay audience; extending our reach (inter)nationally; evaluation and learning lessons).

Summary: Historically we have struggled to engage with patients/public re: BRC research outputs. PPIE is a feature of three new Clinical Research Operations Managers job descriptions to ensure a diffusion of expertise/support. Due to time pressures, standardized approaches were required to maximize impact with minimum fuss.

Conclusion: The new approach has been designed and is being piloted at our GI cancers event on 15/11/2018, to be followed by events in breast and prostate cancers, and thereafter uncommon cancers and eventually a planned non-tumour specific event. This poster/presentation will focus on sharing the materials and approach to save others from reinventing the wheel, provide opportunity for us to learn from others’ approaches to further develop/improve the approach, and showcase the outcomes of the GI and prostate cancer events.

Take-home message: Patient and public events do not have to be overly burdensome to arrange and deliver. A standardized approach can minimize the fuss for R&D whilst ensuring a meaningful event that truly engages with patients/public.

• Terry, Mark (Clinical Research Operations Manager: The Royal Marsden