Challenges and supports for involving adults with cognitive impairments in scientific research

Adults with cognitive impairments are often excluded from participating in health and social care research. We plan to explore how methods in health and social care research can act as barriers to, or help, participation for these individuals.

Research requires the widest possible range of people to participate to ensure that results apply to as many people as possible, and to make research participation open, inclusive and fair to all. This work will contribute to achieving this goal by investigating and considering how potential participants are identified; how information is given to them; and the rules researchers state about who can who can and cannot take part.

Project team

• Dr Shannon Costello, Research Assistant in Interprofessional Science, King’s College London
• Eastre Leedham, Public Health Practitioner, Derbyshire County Council
• Dr Abosede Lawal, Research Practice and Policy Officer, Buckinghamshire Council
• Oliver Cook, Advanced Occupational Therapist; Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Bristol
• Dr Carolyn Lees, Senior Lecturer, University of Liverpool
• Dr Tom Kingstone, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health and Wellbeing, Keele University
• Dr Rona Smith, Associate Professor in Nephrology, University of Cambridge
• Gail Thornton, Public Partner
• Dr Sharon Geva, Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Neuroscience, ARU