4 December 2023

First course on patient involvement in clinical research

23 graduates completed the eight-month training course at the DKF last week.

The DKF developed and organised this course for patients and their relatives who want to participate in clinical research in collaboration with the national platform of the European Patients Academy on Therapeutic Innovation (EUPATI CH). The project was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMW).

Successful first implementation

The course has undoubtedly been a success. Over the past few months, the participants have acquired specific knowledge about how the research organisation works and where they can make an effective contribution. Great emphasis has been placed on practical relevance. In addition to knowledge transfer, a number of best practice examples from different institutions were presented, mostly by patient representatives.

At least as important was the exchange within the group and with researchers. The opportunity to meet and discuss on a regular basis was seen as very enriching.

Watch the video below to hear some of the voices of this year's participants:

Expanding the course programme

Lessons learned from the first round of courses and feedback from participants are currently being incorporated into plans for next year. The next round of courses will start in the first half of the year. In order to provide a low-threshold offer to even more people, the online courses will also be available as stand-alone courses in a slightly modified form. This means that people can learn about the topic on their own and then join the full course if they are interested. These stand-alone courses will also be available in French and Italian.