Respecting the Voices of Children and Young People in Participatory Action Research.

Abstract

A participatory action research (PAR) PhD study is being conducted to critically explore the issues surrounding children visiting adult patients in a large UK hospital. The primary objectives are to increase understanding of how staff could be better prepared to support children and their families when visiting relatives at the hospital and to explore the feasibility for staff to change current practice to improve these experiences. Children’s participation in healthcare research is increasingly important (Fleming and Boeck, 2012) and children and young people have been engaged in two elements of this PAR. Initially members of a Children’s Research Network Young Persons Advisory Group were asked to provide informal consultation to shape the research question and methodology. During Phase 1, registered nurses identified the need for resources and education for both staff and visitors. Students (aged 16-20 years) from a local college requested to participate in the project by designing these resources. They have subsequently requested their own Focus Groups to reflect on their work within the project and to provide a young person’s perspective upon the resources developed. This paper will introduce the rationale for this consultation; and explore the process and outcomes of this co-productive working.