Kshatri Jaya Singh, Bhaumik Soumyadeep, Pradhan Somen Kumar, Barik Shakti Ranjan, A K Kavitha, Palo Subrata Kumar, Rehman Tanveer, Mukherjee Aparna, Subudhi P Raja Kumar, Sahoo Smiteerekha, Ali Md Shaney, Pati Sanghamitra
,*, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneshwar, India.
Model Rural Health Research Unit, Sheragada, Ganjam, India.
Indian J Med Res. 2025 Apr;161(4):337-345. doi: 10.25259/IJMR_2157_2024.
Background & Objectives Research in rural health has historically been opportunistic, lacking alignment with strategic goals or community needs. The Government of India established Model Rural Health Research Units (MRHRUs) to address these disparities through targeted research. However, inconsistent outputs highlight the need for a strategic research agenda. Identifying research priorities is critical to inform policy and funding strategies of MRHRUs. Methods A nationwide Research Priority Setting (RPS) exercise was conducted, involving 120 respondents for free listing of questions, and 250 for ranking. Respondents from various stakeholder groups, including policymakers, researchers, and community representatives, participated. Research priorities were categorised into three domains - Description, Development, and Delivery. An iterative process was employed to refine and consolidate the 122 research questions into 36, which were subsequently ranked using a scoring system that assessed their importance, feasibility, and impact. The list of priorities was finalised through stakeholder deliberation. Results The top five research priorities across the three domains addressing key rural health challenges as identified in this study are presented. 'Descriptive' priorities included investigating social determinants of hypertension, medicine supply chain bottlenecks, and mental health in the elderly. 'Development' priorities focused on interventions using electronic health records in hospitals, tuberculosis control, and menstrual hygiene education. 'Delivery' priorities emphasised improving healthcare resilience, emergency care, and technology-driven diabetes management. These priorities were disseminated to MRHRU managers and policymakers to guide decisions with regard to perceived priorities for research in rural health. Interpretation & conclusions This first-of-its-kind RPS exercise provides inputs towards a strategic roadmap for rural health research, ensuring that future studies align with the needs of rural populations, leading to improved health outcomes. These findings illustrate perceptions and priorities of a selection of respondents from different stakeholder groups and need to be taken into consideration by the Department of Health Research and at the local level by each of the MRHRUs.
背景与目标 农村卫生研究在历史上一直具有机会主义性质，与战略目标或社区需求缺乏一致性。印度政府设立了农村卫生研究示范单位（MRHRUs），通过针对性研究来解决这些差距。然而，产出的不一致凸显了制定战略研究议程的必要性。确定研究重点对于为MRHRUs的政策和资金战略提供信息至关重要。方法 开展了一项全国性的研究重点设定（RPS）活动，120名受访者参与自由列出问题，250名受访者参与排序。来自包括政策制定者、研究人员和社区代表在内的不同利益相关者群体的受访者参与其中。研究重点被分为三个领域——描述、发展和提供。采用迭代过程将122个研究问题提炼并整合为36个，随后使用评估其重要性、可行性和影响的评分系统对这些问题进行排序。优先事项清单通过利益相关者审议确定。结果 列出了在这三个领域中应对本研究确定的关键农村卫生挑战的前五项研究重点。“描述性”重点包括调查高血压的社会决定因素、药品供应链瓶颈以及老年人的心理健康。“发展性”重点集中在医院使用电子健康记录的干预措施、结核病控制和月经卫生教育。“提供性”重点强调提高医疗保健的恢复力、急诊护理以及技术驱动的糖尿病管理。这些重点已传达给MRHRU管理人员和政策制定者，以指导有关农村卫生研究的既定重点的决策。解读与结论 这项首创的RPS活动为农村卫生研究的战略路线图提供了投入，确保未来的研究符合农村人口的需求，从而改善健康结果。这些发现说明了来自不同利益相关者群体的部分受访者的看法和优先事项，卫生研究部以及每个MRHRU在地方层面都需要予以考虑。
