Priority Setting for Mental Health Research in Chile

For which topic were research priorities identified?

mental health

In which location was the research priority setting conducted?

South America - Chile

Why was it conducted at all?

Scientific knowledge is a fundamental tool for making informed health policy decisions, but the link between health research and public policy decision-making is often missing.

What was the objective?

to identify and prioritize a national set of research gaps in mental health

What was the outcome?

a ranking list of 13 research questions

How long did the research prioritization take?

August 2010 - April 2011

Which methods were used to identify research priorities?

consultation; focus group; interview; survey

How were the priorities for research identified exactly?

Step 1: identifying knowledge gaps: via literature review, 6 interviews, 3 focus groups, overall 155 knowledge gaps identified. Step 2: identifying prioritization criteria. Step 3: online consultation with scientific community: participants were asked to formulate research questions. Step 4: knowledge gaps and research questions were reviewed and adapted to standard format. Step 5: prioritization survey: participants were asked to answer rate each research question along 3 criteria

Which stakeholders took part?

Mental health service users, members of the national commission for the protection of persons with mental disorders (NCPPMD), clinical services staff members, academics. Interviews: 6 participants. Focus groups: 18 participants. Consultation: 23 participants. Survey: team made up of DMH professionals and two consultants (an epidemiologist with mental health experience and a psychiatrist with public policy training).

How were stakeholders recruited?

No information provided.

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.