Systematic Evaluation of Research Priorities in Critical Care Electroencephalography

PURPOSE: The Critical Care EEG Monitoring Research Consortium (CCEMRC) is an international research group focusing on critical care EEG and epilepsy. As CCEMRC grew to include 50+ institutions over the past decade, members met to establish research priorities. METHODS: The authors used an analytical hierarchy process-based research prioritization method, adapted from an approach previously applied to a Department of Defense health-related research program. Forty-six CCEMRC members identified and scored a set of eight clinical problems (CPs) and 15 research topic areas (RTAs) at an annual CCEMRC meeting. Members scored CPs on three criteria using a five-point ordinal scale: Incidence, Impact, and Gap Size; and RTAs on four additional criteria: Niche, Feasibility, Scientific Importance, and Medical Importance, each of which was assigned a weight. The first three RTA criteria were scored using a five-point scale, and CPs were mapped to RTAs using a four-point scale. The Medical Importance score was a weighted average of its mapping scores and the CP score. Finally, a Priority score was calculated for each RTA as a product of the four RTA criteria scores. RESULTS: The CPs with the highest scores were "Altered mental status" and "Long-term neurologic disability after hospital discharge." The RTAs with the highest priority scores were "Development of risk prediction tools," "Multicenter observational studies," and "Outcome prediction." CONCLUSIONS: Research prioritization helped CCEMRC evaluate its current research trajectory, identify high-priority near-term research pursuits, and create a roadmap for future research plans aligned with its mission. This approach may be helpful to other academic consortia and research programs.