Identifying research priorities for managing chronic conditions in primary care in Ireland; a James Lind Alliance priority setting partnership

Problem

Chronic conditions are extremely common, with approximately 1 million people in Ireland currently managing at least one chronic symptom or disease. Combined with an aging population, this represents a large and growing burden on primary care. Research in this area is increasingly involving stakeholders, but more could be done to ensure studies focus on areas of greatest importance to those most directly affected. We set out to develop a top ten list of research priorities in this area, using the James Lind Alliance priority setting partnership method.

Approach

With the guidance of the James Lind Alliance (JLA) we established a priority setting partnership (PSP) to bring together patients, carers, and healthcare professionals to identify unanswered questions about the management of chronic diseases. Their methods include large scale stakeholder participation in two surveys, one to gather initial input and one to rank the resulting longlist, as well as a final workshop to create the top 10 list through informed, impartially facilitated discussion.

Findings

The initial survey asking for questions about the management of chronic diseases was shared from March to May 2023. 185 responses contained 350 statements, which when grouped and reviewed resulted in a list of 30 unanswered questions. The interim ranking survey, presenting these 30 questions for ranking, was shared in late 2023 and received 123 responses. The final workshop deciding the top 10 research priorities took place January 2024. The workshop had 17 attendees, with a balance of people with chronic conditions, people working in primary care, and carers. Over several small group sessions, group rankings of the top 20 items were developed and refined into the final ranking, agreed by all participants.

Consequences

Identifying priority areas for research in chronic condition management in primary care will help researchers and funders ensure that future projects reflect the needs of those most affected. The ranked questions also offer a snapshot view of the concerns of stakeholders regarding chronic condition management in primary care in Ireland.