Seniors' Health in Alberta: Asking the Right Questions of Future Research
For which topic were research priorities identified?
seniors health
In which location was the research priority setting conducted?
North America - Canada
Why was it conducted at all?
Since its inception, the Seniors Health SCN has worked to build partnerships to engage in, promote, and advance the use of knowledge to achieve the SCN's mission. We have supported and led a variety of research activities aligned with the platforms of the SCN. However, how topics across seniors' health weigh against one another in terms of greatest priority is not known.
What was the objective?
to understand the knowledge needs of research end-users, and to prioritize those needs
What was the outcome?
a ranking list of 10 research questions
How long did the research prioritization take?
No information provided.
Which methods were used to identify research priorities?
JLA method
How were the priorities for research identified exactly?
Step 1: establishing PSP: key stakeholders assisting in promoting PSP, steering group established. Step 2: collecting uncertainties: survey asking participants to identify unanswered questions about seniors' health, over 3000 responses submitted. Step 3: data processing: responses reviewed, categorized, out-of-scope removed, resulting in 101 questions within scope, summary questions checked against evidence, 67 unanswered questions remained. Step 4: interim ranking: survey in parallel with evidence check due to time constraints, survey asked participants to review summary questions and select 10 questions that they felt to be of greatest importance, votes analyzed within stakeholder groups to ensure equal weighting, shortlist of 22 questions moved forward. Step 5: final prioritization: workshop: before workshop participants provided with shortlist of summary questions and asked to review and rank questions according to their perspective, small group discussions and small group rankings, plenary discussion
Which stakeholders took part?
Older adults, caregivers of older adults, and clinicians or health/social care providers. Survey: 670 participants: 219 older adults, 132 caregivers, 314 health and social care workers, 5 representatives from related agencies/ organizations. Interim ranking: 232 participants: 66 older adults, 57 caregivers, 109 health and social care workers. Workshop: 22 participants.
How were stakeholders recruited?
The invitation to participate was circulated to the partners, posted on the Seniors Health SCN website, tweeted on social media, and advertised by word-of-mouth through the Steering Group.
Were stakeholders actively involved or did they just participate?
Stakeholders not only participated but were also actively involved in the research prioritization process: They were part of a steering group. The steering group consisted of 15 members: older adults, caregivers, clinicians, representatives of agencies/organizations serving these groups. The members met monthly and guided the whole process.