Science for tomorrow's neurosurgery: insights on establishing a neurosurgery patient group focused on developing novel intra-operative imaging techniques.

BACKGROUND

Incorporating patient and public involvement (PPI) in research is crucial for ensuring the relevance and success of studies, yet it remains significantly underutilised in surgical research.

MAIN BODY

This commentary presents insights from our neurosurgical research team's experience with establishing and working with a PPI group called "Science for Tomorrow's Neurosurgery" on research regarding novel intra-operative optical imaging techniques. Through collaboration with patient-focused charities, we have successfully incorporated patient perspectives into our work at each stage of the research pipeline, whilst adhering to core PPI principles, such as reciprocal relationships, co-learning, partnerships, and transparency.

CONCLUSION

We highlight the specific value added to our work in terms of participant recruitment, research ethics and results dissemination.