Involving children and young people as active partners in paediatric health research

Abstract

Paediatric health research is fraught with both ethical and practical challenges that can hinder the successful completion of research studies. Listening to, and acting on, the voices of children and young people in the design and delivery of paediatric health research (otherwise known as Patient and Public Involvement) is one way to overcome such challenges. This paper describes our experiences of working directly with children and young people in various health research initiatives. We recount our journey of involving children and young people as partners and give examples to demonstrate the unique knowledge and insights gained in the production of high-quality research. This short review showcases the many benefits gained if meaningful involvement occurs, including greater understanding of children and young people's perspectives and the impact this has on research studies. We provide various practical resources for researchers on how to meaningfully involve children and young people as partners, how to develop age-appropriate information and guidance to support the ethical review process.