Table 1 Process used in the 2012 cycle to identify research priorities for locally-driven collaborative projects (LDCPs)
Phase 1: Survey to prioritize subject areas | ||
Health units submitted a survey to the LDCP program identifying five subject areas of greatest interest. Interest was calculated by summing the total number of health units that selected each subject area. The top seven subject areas with greatest interest moved forward to phase 2. | ||
Phase 2: Workshop to prioritize 1 research question in each subject area | ||
Step 1 | Formulating potential research questions • Participants provided with an opportunity to formulate research questions of interest to their health unit within the prioritized subject area and topics • Participants shared questions generated by each group member | Number of research questions at the end of the step that move forward for further prioritization |
>20 | ||
Step 2 | Narrowing down potential research questions • Using a consensus-based decision-making process, research questions were refined and reduced • Six principles guided discussion and decision-making: duplications, already done, misalignment, out-of-scope, too big, too early • Approximately 12 research questions move forward to Step 2.3 – applying criteria of ‘interest’ and ‘impact’ | ~12 |
Step 3 | Applying criteria of ‘interest’ and ‘impact’ • Participants were asked to consider criteria of interest and vote for three research questions that best met this criteria • Top five questions with potential for greatest impact were ranked and moved forward to Step 2.4 – considering criteria of ‘balance’ | 5 |
Step 4 | Considering criteria of ‘balance’ • Participants engaged in a discussion about criteria of balance as it relates to the three remaining potential research questions • Comments captured on flip-chart paper • All five questions move forward to Step 2.5 – applying criteria of interest, impact, and balance to identify top research question | 5 |
Step 5 | Applying criteria of interest, impact and balance to identify top research question • Participants were asked to begin by considering criteria of interest and vote for one research question that their organization would be most interested in • Participants were next asked to consider criteria of impact and vote for one research question that relates to the most important public health issue • Finally, participants asked to consider the criteria of balance and vote for one research question that will have the most significant benefit on the public health system as a whole • The research question with the most votes moved forward to be collaboratively developed into an LDCP | 1 |