Delphi Survey of Research Priorities

For which topic were research priorities identified?

nursing

In which location was the research priority setting conducted?

North America - USA

Why was it conducted at all?

Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital, a large metropolitan county hospital in Houston, Texas, started a research committee in november 2004 to involve bedside nurses in research and evidence-based practice. As a first step, a Delphi survey was conducted to involve the nurses in establishing research priorities.

What was the objective?

to identify nurses' priorities for topics and issues to be addressed by a developing nursing research program at a county hospital

What was the outcome?

a ranking list of 39 research topics

How long did the research prioritization take?

No information provided.

Which methods were used to identify research priorities?

Delphi

How were the priorities for research identified exactly?

Step 1: Delphi round 1: survey asking participants to identify patient care problems or issues in nursing that need to be studied by nurses at Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital. Step 2: data processing: content analysis, resulting in 39 topics. Step 3: Delphi round 2: participants were asked to rate importance of each topic

Which stakeholders took part?

Nurses. Delphi round 1: 274 participants. Delphi round 2: 249 participants.

How were stakeholders recruited?

Participants were recruited via the Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital, a large metropolitan county hospital in Houston, Texas. The chair of the research committee asked the nurse manager of each nursing unit and each clinic area to identify another nurse to serve as a data collection coordinator (DCC). Each DCC received a packet containing a brief explanation of the Delphi survey and its purpose, flyer to post at nurses stations and lounges, questionnaires for nurses employed in that area, data collection instructions, the council chairs contact information and a box of pens to give to nurses as an incentive to complete the questionnaires. The DCCs distributed the questionnaires to the nurses in their area and returned them to the chair of the research council.

Were stakeholders actively involved or did they just participate?

Stakeholders were mere participants of the research prioritization process; they were not actively involved in the process.