Public Involvement in Research
Research with, not just about women
Involving the public in the MAMMI study is an important step in ensuring that the real life experiences of women are considered when decisions are being made about the research we do.
Womens involvement in MAMMI
Public involvement in research is defined as conducting research ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public rather than doing research ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them, helps to ensure the quality and relevance of the research, and is underpinned by democratic principles of citizenship, accountability and transparency. The MAMMI study was set up in 2011 to become a study ‘with and for women’, not just to do research 'about' women.
During the study’s development phase, pregnant and postpartum women were consulted on the acceptability of the study documents and surveys, and the validity of the content, and their opinions and input shaped the final documents. In 2017, a group of women, participants in the study, contributed to the development of the follow-up study surveys and documents, and several are willing to be involved with the research on a long-term basis. This initiative will enable women to identify and prioritise research studies that are important to them and, ultimately, influence future services for childbearing women and mothers.Dr. Deirdre Daly
Deirdre is a midwife with over 20 years experience working with mothers and families in maternity care services in Ireland and the UK. Deirdre first came up with the idea of setting up a study to examine maternal health in Ireland when she experienced the lack of conversation about maternal health issues, and the extent to which women's health problems remained hidden, with women suffering in silence from health problems that are treatable and curable and, if treated early enough, could prevent some of these problems from persisting into later life.