Abstract
Introduction
High quality clinical education research is required to ensure optimal education and training of healthcare professionals. Such research should address stakeholder needs and have a clear route to achieving benefit. We conducted the first UK-wide priority setting exercise for clinical education research, to identify consensus around priorities and impact.
Methods
We used a two-stage process, derived from similar studies, to identify research stakeholder priorities. Participants included funders, regulators, educators and public representatives. Stage one consisted of two rounds of online survey, gathering free-text suggestions of priorities, and ratings of resulting statements. A public engagement author advised on clarity of wording. Stage two used a stakeholder workshop to discuss principles and processes for operationalising priorities and maximising impact.
Results
Round 1 survey respondents (n=256), provided 1819 suggestions, from which content analysis synthesised 46 statements describing disparate research priorities. Distributions of ratings in round 2 (n=199) indicated that all were perceived as important by most respondents, although professionals and members of the public differed in their rating of some items. Workshop participants (n=70) considered priorities to be dynamic and contextually dependent, and linked to expected impact.
Discussion
Research priorities have evolved since earlier studies, and a range of topics are deemed ‘important’ by multiple stakeholder groups. However, this alone cannot prioritise allocation of finite resources, which will require on-going, dynamic engagement between funders, policy actors, educators and the public. Impact can be identified and optimised through stakeholder networks, knowledge mobilisation, public and professional engagement and responsive funding. We encourage specific funding calls for clinical education research, as well as researcher-led approaches, to maximise opportunities in this field.
High quality clinical education research is required to ensure optimal education and training of healthcare professionals. Such research should address stakeholder needs and have a clear route to achieving benefit. We conducted the first UK-wide priority setting exercise for clinical education research, to identify consensus around priorities and impact.
Methods
We used a two-stage process, derived from similar studies, to identify research stakeholder priorities. Participants included funders, regulators, educators and public representatives. Stage one consisted of two rounds of online survey, gathering free-text suggestions of priorities, and ratings of resulting statements. A public engagement author advised on clarity of wording. Stage two used a stakeholder workshop to discuss principles and processes for operationalising priorities and maximising impact.
Results
Round 1 survey respondents (n=256), provided 1819 suggestions, from which content analysis synthesised 46 statements describing disparate research priorities. Distributions of ratings in round 2 (n=199) indicated that all were perceived as important by most respondents, although professionals and members of the public differed in their rating of some items. Workshop participants (n=70) considered priorities to be dynamic and contextually dependent, and linked to expected impact.
Discussion
Research priorities have evolved since earlier studies, and a range of topics are deemed ‘important’ by multiple stakeholder groups. However, this alone cannot prioritise allocation of finite resources, which will require on-going, dynamic engagement between funders, policy actors, educators and the public. Impact can be identified and optimised through stakeholder networks, knowledge mobilisation, public and professional engagement and responsive funding. We encourage specific funding calls for clinical education research, as well as researcher-led approaches, to maximise opportunities in this field.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-10 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Clinical Teacher |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 30 Jun 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Jun 2025 |
Keywords
- health professions education
- patient involvement
- priority setting
- research funding
- research impact
- research priorities