Using qualitative people-centred co-research methods to enhance innovation within ‘medical model’ research design

To date, the biomechanics community has had limited success in communicating complex biomechanical data and analyses outside its field. This may be symptomatic of its approach to public and patient involvement (PPI). The authors, having considered the visualisation and presentation of these biomechanical data from a user-centred perspective, have created an innovative prototype software tool to visualise objective dynamic movement data. Evaluation of this tool through PPI has shown it to improve communication of complex mobility data in an accessible manner for non-biomechanical specialists and lay people. Its continued development, by a multi-disciplinary team, as a therapeutic intervention for rehabilitation, has highlighted the problematic issues of: a) conventional randomised-controlled trials (RCT) design and the different models of research and metrics favoured by different disciplines within the team, b) the interpretation and application of PPI using either design or scientific methods, c) the acceptance or challenging of assumptions and conventional practice and, d) the idea of open innovation. This paper describes how research originally conceived in a ‘medical’ mode using quantitative outcome measures from a set of RCTs has evolved to use a mixed methods approach. A complementary qualitative methodology has been introduced before, during and after the RCTs, using people-centred design methods to challenge assumptions within the team, to enable innovation and to evaluate in more depth the effects of the changes in the rehabilitation process for patients and health professionals