APRICOT supports hand osteoarthritis public engagement project: ‘How would you HAND-le this?

The power of public involvement in hand-related research’

In October 2021, the ‘How Would You HAND-le this?’ project was awarded several thousand pounds of Public & Community Engagement Development Funding from the University of Southampton. This funding will support the development of an interactive online resource which aims to raise awareness of what it is like to live with hand osteoarthritis. It also aims to communicate to scientists and engineers the importance of working with members of the public to incorporate these lived experience insights into the design process of healthcare technologies. The project team consists of public contributors, engineers and health scientists and is led by one of APRICOT’s young researchers, Tinashe Munyebvu.

As well as developing the online resource, the team aims to host numerous events to share their work with members of the public, students and staff. APRICOT supported the project's first event in December 2021 where the value of lived-experience and patient perspectives in the design process was communicated to a group of undergraduate students.