Integrating evidence and expert consensus to prioritise patients for medication review in primary care
Introduction
Research Area:
Health services research/multiple medications /prescribing/best use of medicines /pharmacy services/GP services.
What is the research about?
People taking regular medications can benefit from having their medications reviewed by a pharmacist. This research is part of a PhD project (academic degree) looking at how we find the people who might benefit most from having this review. We are interested in people in a community setting, for example attending their general practitioner or community pharmacy. To achieve this, several pieces of research are planned. Some involve looking at data on medicine prescribing to understand how many people in Ireland use multiple medicines (e.g. more than 5 medicines) or have other issues with their medicines. Later parts of the research will gather the views from experts (including research, health professionals, patients and the public) on how best to identify people who may benefit most from a medicines review.
Who is this Opportunity for?
We are hoping to form a panel to represent a range of perspectives. We are inviting individuals or their carers who have experience of any of the below:
• Community healthcare in Ireland e.g. visiting their family doctor/GP.
• Taking multiple medications, e.g. more than 5 different medications daily.
• Living with multiple chronic conditions, e.g. diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
We are especially interested in speaking with individuals who have a medical card (as this can impact experiences of care).
What will PPI Contributors do?
We are looking to establish a panel of contributors who would be willing to take part in a 60-minute online meeting every six months over a two-year period. These meetings will give us the opportunity to shape the research, including discussions on how medicines data can be used to improve medication safety, and on the challenges patients face when managing multiple medicines or living with long-term conditions. Other examples of activities include trialing questionnaires and providing feedback before they are shared with wider experts, as well as consultation on the best ways to communicate our research findings to the public. This includes helping to develop clear, accessible information for social media and conferences that can be understood by people from all backgrounds.
Opportunity for:
Involvement Opportunity Details
Time
Time commitment:
One online meeting every 6 months with opportunities for in-person meetings if desired, in later stages of the research. The meetings will be 60 minutes over Zoom or Microsoft Teams, with the first taking place around February 2026.
Contact between meetings:
When you respond to this advert, the lead researcher, Alex McKibben, will contact you by telephone for a brief conversation to share a little more on the project. If you are interested in contributing to the topic, you can become a member of the PPI research panel. An update will be sent to contributors via email between the 6 monthly meetings, providing updates on the progress with the research.
Length of involvement:
This is an opportunity for a partnership throughout a 3-year PhD project, with meetings every 6 months. Panel members may discontinue their involvement at any time.
Start date for involvement:
15/02/2026
Logistics
Where?
If online, explain how:
This meeting will take place via Microsoft Teams or Zoom. We will invite you to an online meeting on Microsoft Teams or Zoom. If you have not used either of these before, we can talk you through how to set it up and do a trial-run with you.
If in person, explain where:
Not applicable
Other ways of communicating:
Telephone call
Funding available for:
If no funding available, explain why:
Not applicable
Other Information
Stage of the research study/ programme:
Research started
Is this opportunity for PPI in a PhD:
Yes
Closing date to contact researchers:
12/01/2026
Research Team
Contact person:
Alex McKibben Driscoll
University/organisation:
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Contact email:
alexandramckibben@rcsi.com
Researcher background:
Pharmacist
Research funder:
RCSI Clement Archer Scholarship
Photo:
Interested in this PPI Opportunity?
Please complete this form and click SUBMIT