Priority Setting in Research: User Led Mental Health Research

For which topic were research priorities identified?

mental health

In which location was the research priority setting conducted?

Europe - United Kingdom

Why was it conducted at all?

This paper is the result of continued collaboration between members of the Service User and Carer Partnership Research Development Group, which, following the recon figuration of the Research Development Groups (RDG's) in Wales, became the Service User and Carer Research Partnership; supported, by the National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH), Health Care Research Wales and Hafal. The group is comprised of people with lived experience of mental health issues, mental health professionals, and academics. One of the key aims of this group is to conduct genuine, user-led mental health research that is relevant and meaningful to all the members.

What was the objective?

to explore the research priorities of people with experience of mental health services which include people with a lived experience of mental ill health, their carers, and professionals

What was the outcome?

a list of 2 research questions

How long did the research prioritization take?

1 day

Which methods were used to identify research priorities?

workshop

How were the priorities for research identified exactly?

Step 1: workshop: to identify research priorities using nominal group technique, small group discussions: participants were asked to brainstorm research ideas and to note research questions on flipcharts, in plenary session participants were asked to vote on research ideas: overall 3 rounds of voting

Which stakeholders took part?

People with a lived experience of mental ill health, their carers, and professionals. 25 participants: 5 were mental health professionals, 20 had a lived experience of mental ill health (of which 3 were also carers).

How were stakeholders recruited?

Invitations to attend the "Getting Involved in Research: Priority Setting" workshop were sent out to people with a lived experience of mental ill health and their carers (via the SUCPRDG mailing list). Personal invitations were also sent to 4 members selected through open opportunity advertisement from the Involving People Network.

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.