What are we trying to do? 

VoiceIn is a digital research platform and mobile app designed to enhance and support patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) activities and contributions to research, and to strengthen the diversity of voices shaping health and care research.

 

VoiceIn was co-designed by young people with mental health conditions, who created an effective tool that enables users to respond easily to health research ideas and provide feedback on ongoing projects. The mobile app has since been expanded to address other health research projects and themes, for example musculoskeletal and cancer research.

 

 
Why is it important? 

We want to enable as many people as possible to contribute to health research. Some people find it difficult to attend face to face workshops and focus groups (for example, due to time or travel constraints). Making opportunities available within an app that people can use at any time to provide ideas and feedback will increase the options for people to learn about, get involved and engaged with research, making sure that every voice can be heard and supporting a more inclusive and representative research process.

 

How are we doing it? 

We have worked extensively with members of the public, mental health researchers and third sector organisations to co-design and test the app to ensure it is fit for purpose. We continue to work with advisory groups with diverse representatives, so that we can provide more inclusive and accessible options for public contributors to have their voices heard.

 

The app is now available to use and can be downloaded for free via the Apple Store or Google Play:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patients and members of the public can use it to:

• Learn about research ideas
• Find studies to match their interests
• Give feedback on research ideas straight from their phone
• Stay up to date with the research that matters to them.

 

Researchers can use VoiceIn to:

• Share and keep up to date their current and upcoming projects
• Ask questions to a target audience
• Collect feedback throughout the research process
• Connect with a more diverse group of contributors.

 

Who are we working with? 
The Digital Health Software Team at the University of Manchester has built the digital platform to support the delivery of the app.

 
To ensure the app meets the needs of people who are interested in contributing to research in this way, we are working with:

 

• third sector organisations,
• members of the public,
• mental health service users, and
• mental health researchers.

 

We are also working with wide-ranging stakeholder groups to raise awareness about the app.

 

 

Funding

This study was funded using part of £750k additional funding from NIHR to support Mental Health Research across Greater Manchester.

 

VoiceIn has now been awarded £500k from the NIHR-MRC Better Methods Better Research programme to co-deliver and evaluate the digital platform. This will increase young people’s PPIE in health and biomedical research, as well as enhancing and socially normalising research involvement and enabling sustained, meaningful participation in diverse and relevant opportunities.

 

£25k from DATAMIND (an MRC-funded mental health data hub) has also been awarded to help with promotion of the app.

 

 

Downloadable resources

 

 

More information

 

 

 

Programme Manager
Gill Rizzello
gill.rizzello@manchester.ac.uk