Table 1 Checklist for health research priority setting
From: A checklist for health research priority setting: nine common themes of good practice
Preparatory work |
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1. Context |
Decide which contextual factors underpin the process: What resources are available for the exercise? What is the focus of the exercise (i.e. what is the exercise about and who is it for)? What are the underlying values or principles? What is the health, research and political environment in which the process will take place? |
2. Use of a comprehensive approach |
Decide if use of a comprehensive approach is appropriate, or if development of own methods is the preferred choice. These approaches provide structured, detailed, step-by-step guidance for health research priority setting processes from beginning to end. |
3. Inclusiveness |
Decide who should be involved in setting the health research priorities and why. Is there appropriate representation of expertises and balanced gender and regional participation? Have important health sectors and other constituencies been included? |
4. Information gathering |
Choose what information should be gathered to inform the exercise, such as literature reviews, collection of technical data (e.g. burden of disease or cost-effectiveness data), assessment of broader stakeholder views, reviews or impact analyses of previous priority setting exercises or exercises from other geographical levels. |
5. Planning for implementation |
Establish plans for translation of the priorities to actual research (via policies and funding) as a priority at the beginning of the process. Who will implement the research priorities? And how? |
Deciding on priorities |
6. Criteria |
Select relevant criteria to focus discussion around setting priorities. |
7. Methods for deciding on priorities |
Choose a method for deciding on priorities. Decide whether to use a consensus based approach or a metrics based approach (pooling individual rankings), or a combination. |
After priorities have been set |
8. Evaluation |
Define when and how evaluation of the established priorities and the priority setting process will take place. Health research priority setting should not be a one-time exercise! |
9. Transparency |
Write a clear report that discusses the approach used: Who set the priorities? How exactly were the priorities set? |