Peer-reviewed article
Pediatric Hospital Care Research Priorities Within a Regional Whole-of-Life Health Service: Established Through Consumer and Healthcare Professional Collaboration.
Creen J, Medcalfe B, Jefferies A, Thomas C, Cole R ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study identifies research priorities for pediatric hospital care by involving parents, carers, patients, and healthcare professionals in a consensus-based process at an Australian regional hospital. Through six stages of consultation and prioritization, the team established five top research priorities, with reducing healthcare-related trauma emerging as the central concern. The study demonstrates how consumer and professional collaboration can shape patient-centered research agendas.
Key points
- Top 5 research priorities: reducing healthcare-related trauma, upscaling pediatric-centered support strategies, enhancing communication, improving adolescent/young adult services, and improving continuity of care
- Equal representation of consumers (parents, carers, previous patients) and healthcare professionals achieved throughout the process
- 104 unique research submissions generated; 21 indicative research uncertainties identified; refined to top 5 through consensus
- Healthcare-related trauma emerged as a central priority, differing from some international contexts
- Modified James Lind Alliance methodology proved effective for engaging research end-users in priority-setting
Limitations
This document describes a research priority-setting exercise rather than an evaluation of interventions for child well-being problems. It cannot demonstrate whether addressing these priorities will actually improve child health outcomes or reduce trauma in practice.
Abstract
Aim This study is aimed at establishing the top research priorities in pediatric hospital care that are relevant and meaningful to local pediatric consumers and healthcare professionals to optimize local service outcomes. Methods This study adopted a modified consensus-based research priority-setting design, utilizing James Lind Alliance (JLA) methodology led by a steering committee comprising consumers (parents, carers, and previous patients) and healthcare professionals. The study was conducted at a regional Australian tertiary hospital providing whole-of-life health services from April 2023 to June 2024. The six-stage study design consisted of (1) initiation, (2) consultation, (3) collation, (4) interim ranking, (5) final priority setting, and (6) dissemination. Results Equal representation of consumers and healthcare professionals was achieved during the priority-setting processes, with active consumer partnership during research design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination phases. A total of 104 unique research submissions were generated through the harvesting survey (n = 104), and following screening and synthesis, 21 indicative research uncertainties were identified. Following interim prioritization (n = 110) and final refinement through a consensus workshop (n = 24), the Top 5 pediatric research priorities were established: reducing healthcare-related trauma, upscaling pediatric-centered support strategies and infrastructure, enhancing effective communication, enhancing adolescent and young adult services, and improving efficiency and care as children move through a whole-of-life health service. Conclusion These research priorities align with those of other international pediatric healthcare services while highlighting unique local contextual differences. Notably, reducing trauma associated with healthcare experiences emerged as a central priority. Our modified JLA approach appears to be an effective framework for engaging research end-users in establishing relevant and meaningful research priorities tailored to local health-service needs. Future initiatives should continue to ensure consumers are active coinvestigators to ensure outcomes remain patient-centered and community-focused.