Abstract

Background and Aim:
The role of professional advice in research is often overlooked in comparison to the prominent role of patients whose voice is widely sought as end-users of the service. In the context of health service and implementation research, however, clinicians are also ‘users’ as complex interventions are integrated into routine care. IMP2ART aimed to implement supported asthma self-management into the routine of UK primary care. We describe the impact of embedding professional collaboration throughout IMP2ART.

Methods:
The Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS) was a key collaborator from the outset of the IMP2ART programme of work. A PCRS colleague was a co-applicant and contributed to the design of the research. We established a Professional Advisory Group (PAG) who met regularly to advise on development of resources and implementation strategies, support trial recruitment and discuss emerging findings.

Results:
The multidisciplinary PAG (n=18 members) included GPs, primary/community nurses, secondary and integrated care consultants). The agenda for the six meetings, scheduled approximately annually, included an update on progress with the research, discussions about changes in the primary care context and the practicalities of implementation strategies, and interpretation of trial outcomes. Specific topics included:
• Implications of the policy of ‘federated practices’ for the trial; content and format of potential resources (January 2019)
• Strategies for engaging the practice team in the IMP2ART strategy (December 2019)
• Impact of the pandemic on long-term condition care, remote consulting and practicalities of action plan provision (June 2020)
• If/how routine care is being re-established in the aftermath of the pandemic (March 2022)
• Discussion of the findings of the process evaluation (June 2025) and views on equity considerations (September 2025).
Abstracts presented at the annual conference offered further opportunities for feedback, and PAG members were invited to the final results meeting with the whole IMP2ART team. Colleagues from the PAG are co-authors on five IMP2ART papers.

Discussion:
Professional advice proved invaluable to the IMP2ART research, guiding developmental phases, advising on practicalities, describing the impact of contextual changes and interpreting findings. The PAG allowed PCRS colleagues to contribute, learn, understand different practice and research better.