Sections and Chapters

Chapter 2.7 Prioritization of research

Chapter 2.7 describes the key factors to consider when preparing, developing and evaluating a research prioritization exercise in health emergency and disaster risk management (Health EDRM), including:

1. The importance of careful selection of priorities for research.
2. Practical steps in setting priorities.

What is this chapter about? 

Identifying the topics that are high priorities for new research in Health EDRM is a challenge. Various processes are available to prioritize research and can be used to guide decision-makers as to the research to conduct to generate important evidence for Health EDRM. These processes can help decision-makers to be transparent about the choices they make about which research is most needed.

This chapter outlines the key steps to support a research prioritization exercise. These include preparing for the exercise by understanding context and engaging stakeholders, shaping prioritization with expert consensus, and the implementation and evaluation of impact of research findings. The chapter also provides a list of questions to consider when using an equity lens to set research priorities.

Case studies presented in the chapter 

1. Taking account of the values and preferences of different stakeholders to set research priorities for mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings in Peru, Uganda and Nepal.

What are the key messages of this chapter?  

• Prioritization of research in Health EDRM will help ensure that the research that is most needed gets conducted and make efficient use of resources that might otherwise be used for implementing interventions.
• Those undertaking prioritization exercises should use an evidence-based approach and ensure that key stakeholders are involved. Several methodologies are available to help do this.
• Reports of prioritization exercises should be clear about the outcomes, the methods used in the exercise, the underlying assumptions made before or during the process to support the decision-making process (such as political, social and economic views underlying support or funding decisions), and how the various sources of information were used, in order to allow those who might act on the priorities to judge the quality and relevance of the exercise that led to them.