Webpage co-designed with patient partners to connect researchers and people with lived experience
The Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit’s (MSSU) patient engagement opportunities have become the most-viewed section of our website — second only to the homepage. The page, which connects researchers with people who have lived or living experience, has seen remarkable growth over the past year with more opportunities posted, more people signing up, and more visits than ever before.
What are patient engagement opportunities?
Patient engagement is at the heart of patient-oriented research. It happens when a patient and/or member of the public partners with staff or research teams to improve health care by helping set priorities, guide governance, shape research questions, or contribute to parts of the research process.
This is different from patient participation, where individuals are enrolled in a study as subjects — for example, by completing a survey or joining a focus group. We also support recruitment for patient participation for projects that already include people with lived or living experience as part of their team.
Built with patients, for patients
The opportunities page was co-designed in 2024 with Patient/Public Partners, who directed what details to include and how to ensure the page is clear, accessible and welcoming. Their feedback helped shape everything from the structure of postings to the inclusive language used throughout.
During the redesign, Patient/Public Partners emphasized the importance of increasing the diversity of voices engaged in health research and reaching beyond those already connected with the MSSU. Their input helped shape the page’s approach to sharing opportunities more widely and connecting with new communities.
The MSSU now promotes these listings through its subscribers list, newsletters, LinkedIn (tagging relevant groups for more exposure), and partner communication channels.
To expand this reach even further, the MSSU is working with health system partners to share opportunities through their patient registries and exploring new digital platforms to connect with specialized or underrepresented groups.
The page offers a variety of projects to get involved with, including:
- MSSU opportunities, such as joining an MSSU-led research project, governance committee, or working group.
- External research projects, that may or may not be supported by MSSU.
- Partner and health authority opportunities focused on engagement in research and health system improvement.
Growing reach and impact
Last year, we promoted 56 opportunities on our webpage, up from 34 the year before. More than 50 new individuals subscribed to receive email alerts when new postings go live — including many who had never connected with the MSSU before.
Those email alerts have achieved an impressive 60% average open rate, showing strong interest and engagement. Since January, the webpage has attracted nearly 2,000 visitors — a 25% increase over the previous year.