Improvement Research Priorities: USA Survey and Expert Consensus

Table 1

Three-stage process for establishing consensus on research priorities.

Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3
Topic identification	Stakeholder survey	Priority consensus
Topics identified through broad environmental scans of healthcare literature, regulatory and accreditation criteria, innovation challenges, national campaigns, and discussions with leaders	Survey instrument was developed and refined as follows: (i) paper-based survey data collection (𝑛=320; 62% response rate); (ii) content and clarity review (𝑛=12); (iii) online survey pilot and telephone debrief (𝑛=5); Online survey data were collected from stakeholders (𝑛 = 2,777; 20% response rate)	Consensus formed by Expert Panel (Delphi process) (𝑛=14); (i) Expert panel completed online survey prior to meeting; (ii) Criteria for prioritization established at in-person meeting; (iii) Discussions and multiple iterations occurred during in-person meeting; Consensus declared by professional facilitator and group
Result; Topics were incorporated into survey instrument	Result; Stakeholder survey data provided foundation for consensus formation	Result; Priority research agenda finalized and disseminated