Building Bridges between Researchers and Patient Research Partners: A Report from the GRAPPA 2014 Annual Meeting

Abstract

Concurring with a worldwide trend to include the patient perspective in outcomes research, the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) recently engaged patients as collaborative partners in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) research. We summarize Building Bridges, a session held at the GRAPPA 2014 annual meeting, where interactive dialogue was encouraged between all participants regarding GRAPPA’s vision for patient research partner (PRP) involvement, including the mutual understanding of the roles and responsibilities of PRP and researchers in GRAPPA’s working groups, meetings, and governance arrangements. We conclude that involving PRP in GRAPPA projects is pivotal to optimizing incorporation of the patient perspective in psoriasis and PsA research.