Identifying research priorities for chronic disease management in primary care: results of an Irish James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership.

BACKGROUND

Chronic conditions are extremely common, with approximately 1 million people in Ireland currently affected by the four most common chronic conditions alone. This is expected to significantly increase in the near future due to Ireland's aging population. Identifying the priorities of patients, carers, and healthcare professionals for primary care research in chronic condition management could ensure future work is relevant and that resulting service changes and policy decisions align with the needs of those most affected.

METHODS

An initial survey to collect potential research questions about the management of all chronic diseases was shared with patients, carers, and healthcare professionals from March to May 2023. Submissions were sorted and checked against existing evidence resulting in a list of 30 unanswered questions. An interim priority setting survey was shared in late 2023, and a final workshop to rank the top ten research priorities took place in January 2024.

FINDINGS

The first survey resulted in 350 individual statements (n = 185 participants). Seventy-three respondents had a chronic disease and 72 were primary healthcare professionals. Rankings were informed by an initial priority setting survey (n = 108), followed by an in-person workshop (n = 16) to decide the final order.

INTERPRETATION

The resulting top ten research priorities offer a starting point for funding bodies and researchers to ensure that future primary care research in chronic condition management is relevant, meaningful, and impactful. The top ten priorities reflect current Irish and global challenges in healthcare, with top items including communication, non-pharmacological treatments, and multidisciplinary care.

FUNDING

This work was funded by the Health Research Board, as a work package of the Primary Care Clinical Trial Network (HRB CTN 2021-002).