The review revealed the most common stage for PPI was in research planning , and the most common level of involvement was collaboration .
Most studies did not provide evidence of effectiveness or elaborate on the impact of PPI , and they tended to report impact from the research er 's perspective .
Where impact was mentioned , this generally related to increased relevance to the community , empowerment of participants and alterations in study design .
OBJECTIVES Patient and public involvement ( PPI ) is argued to lead to higher quality health research , which is more relatable to and helps empower the public .
We synthesis ed the evidence to look for examples of PPI in health research in low/middle-income countries ( LMICs ) , looking at levels of involvement and impact .
Additionally , we considered the impact of who was undertaking the research on the level of involvement and reported impact .
The spread of drug abuse in rapidly urbanizing communities in Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic.
To determine the prevalence of drug abuse in city neighborhoods in a developing country undergoing rapid urbanization , we performed a household survey on the spread of drug abuse in Vientiane , Lao People 's Democratic Republic . A total of 1497 households from 17 villages were selected by the stratified r and om sampling method from urban districts in the city of Vientiane .  Participatory style research was employed to increase both the sensitivity of detection and the reliability of information gathered . Local key players shared in the participatory process in this study . We worked with national and city officers and community leaders , as well as with neighborhood leaders who had received previous training for this survey , and conducted household surveys using face-to-face interviews . We inquired about the spread of drug abuse by asking if the families interviewed recognized drug abuse problems in their community . To examine the extent of urbanization of individual villages , the urban index was calculated by principle component analysis from the following eight indicators : income , occupation , parents ' educational histories , diffusion of telephones , ownership of livestock , diffusion of plumbing for running water and distance from the Vientiane city center to the village . Distance was calculated by the Geographic Information System . Among the 17 villages included in the study , the average percentage of recognition of drug abuse in the community was 63.2 % . The relationship between recognition of cases of drug abuse in the community and the urban index showed a significant correlation , with a Spearman coefficient of 0.650 ( p < 0.01 ) . The high reliability of participatory style surveys is also discussed . In conclusion , city neighborhoods in a developing country undergoing rapid urbanization showed evidence of the spread of drug abuse , which was associated with the urban index . Participatory style research activity was recommended to help raise awareness of community participation in anti-drug-abuse activities
The review revealed the most common stage for PPI was in research planning , and the most common level of involvement was collaboration .
Most studies did not provide evidence of effectiveness or elaborate on the impact of PPI , and they tended to report impact from the research er 's perspective .
Where impact was mentioned , this generally related to increased relevance to the community , empowerment of participants and alterations in study design .
OBJECTIVES Patient and public involvement ( PPI ) is argued to lead to higher quality health research , which is more relatable to and helps empower the public .
We synthesis ed the evidence to look for examples of PPI in health research in low/middle-income countries ( LMICs ) , looking at levels of involvement and impact .
Additionally , we considered the impact of who was undertaking the research on the level of involvement and reported impact .