Making the case for service user involvement in the operating department practice curriculum: A discussion paper

This article discusses the case for improving service user involvement in a UK-based operating department practice (ODP) degree programme. The term 'service user' is a broad phrase referring to those who use or are affected by the services of Health and Care Professions Council-registered professionals. In 2018, the Health and Care Professions Council set a mandatory requirement for service user engagement within all 15 HCPC-registered Allied Health Professions. Despite this, there is a lack of published literature on this topic, particularly in relation to operating department practice education. The authors, who are involved in operating department practice education and service user engagement at one UK university, discuss their proactive integration of service user involvement in the operating department practice curriculum through a well-established partnership. The article identifies various formats of service user involvement, utilisation of a humanisation framework, evaluating the impact on students and highlights the transformative potential of experiential learning. The authors advocate for knowledge sharing to build an empirical foundation for service user involvement in operating department practice education nationwide.