Better conversations with Parkinson’s: co-production of a novel speech and language therapy intervention with people living with Parkinson’s

Abstract

Effective engagement with stakeholders is key in health-care research and intervention development. There is currently a lack of evidence relating to the involvement of co-producers with Parkinson’s-related communication difficulties. This article provides a critical reflection on co-producing a novel speech and language therapy intervention (Better Conversations with Parkinson’s) with people living with Parkinson’s who have an interest in, or lived experience of, communication difficulties. Evaluation is based on qualitative comments and survey responses from patient and public involvement group members, documentation and outputs from the patient and public involvement group, and reflection using the Public Involvement Impact Assessment Framework. The co-production group, research team and organisation highly valued the expertise and collaboration as equal partners gained through co-production. Key enablers included skilled facilitation and adequate time and funding. Consideration should be given to the format of participation (online or face-to-face), recruitment strategies and the role of patient and public involvement, in order to improve access to underserved groups and strengthen the voice of public and patient involvement members. Co-production with people living with Parkinson’s and communication difficulties allowed the creation of a more credible, relevant intervention which responds to the needs of key stakeholders, and it was a positive experience with personal benefits for those involved. We propose offering a flexible choice of co-production methods to accommodate the differing experiences of patient and public involvement members with Parkinson’s and communication difficulties.