What is project Participate?

Project PARTICIPATE is a national initiative led by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre (NPEC) that aims to strengthen public and patient involvement in maternity clinical audits. The project explores how people with lived experience of maternity care can help shape how audits are designed, interpreted, and communicated. Through a national survey, co-designed resources, and the creation of patient and public panels, PARTICIPATE seeks to make audit processes more inclusive, meaningful, and responsive to the needs of service users.

Aims of the project:

• To understand public awareness and perceptions of clinical audit in maternity care

• To identify barriers and enablers to patient and public involvement (PPI) in audit processes

• To co-create practical resources that support meaningful involvement

• To establish ongoing public and patient panels to contribute to audit and research activities at NPEC.

The project includes the following phases:

Phase 1: National Survey
An anonymous online survey to explore public awareness, attitudes, and experiences of involvement in maternity audits, as well as preferences for future engagement.

Phase 2: Co-design of Resources
Workshops with patients and members of the public to co-develop clear, accessible resources that support participation in audit activities.

Phase 3: Creation of Patient and Public Panels
Development of topic-specific panels of PPI contributors who will collaborate with NPEC on shaping audits, interpreting findings, and improving communication.

Research Team and Contact information

The PARTICIPATE project is led by Dr Tamara Escañuela Sánchez and Dr Indra San Lázaro Campillo, with the involvement of all NPEC staff and in collaboration with the PARTICIPATE advisory group.

For more information about this project please email tamara.escanuelasanchez@ucc.ie or npec@ucc.ie