Business as usual? Inequalities in patient and public involvement in health research

Co-creation in health research is a rising trend, as funding bodies increasingly favor research that involves citizens in the research process. Furthermore, research strategies, policy documents, and statements from Danish health institutions have begun to highlight the benefits of co-creation in health research. There is an increasing expectation and claim that citizens and users of health research should influence and take part in such research processes. Yet international studies have shown that social position matters for the inclusion and exclusion of citizens in health research. The article discusses how citizens’ social position may matter for co-creation in health research by drawing on relevant research literature. Furthermore, I apply central notions of the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu (e.g., field, capital and habitus) to discuss diverse prerequisites for citizens to co-create in health research. This article focuses on the risk in patient and public involvement of reproducing health disparities through co-creation of knowledge.