Background: It is deemed good practice to involve patients routinely in research but no study has investigated the practical benefits, particularly to successful recruitment.
Aims: To identify whether patient involvement is associated with study success.
Method: All studies listed on the Mental Health Research Network (MHRN) portfolio database (n = 374) were interrogated using logistic regression, ANOVA and Pearson's correlation to identify associations with study characteristics, funding bodies and recruitment success.
Results: Patient involvement increased over time although in some areas of research it was limited. Some funders, especially the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), had more associated patient involvement than others. Studies that involved patients to a greater extent were more likely to have achieved recruitment targets (χ(2) = 4.58, P<0.05), defined as reaching at least 90% of the target.
Conclusions: This is the first time associations with study success have been identified for patient involvement. Researchers might now consider ways to involve patients more comprehensively as this is associated with study success. Further research is needed to explore this finding.