Research priorities for intensive care: A stakeholder-informed priority-setting partnership

Objective The aim of the present study was to identify and prioritise unanswered research questions in intensive care through a stakeholder-driven priority-setting partnership involving clinicians and consumers. Design Structured collaborative consultation using a modified James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership approach. The process included five stages: initiation, consultation, collation, interim prioritisation, and a final consensus workshop. Submissions were collated into indicative questions, refined and shortlisted by the study team, and ranked in an interim prioritisation survey. Final priorities were determined through an in-person workshop using a modified nominal group technique. Setting Queensland Critical Care Research Network, a statewide intensive care research network in Queensland, Australia. Participants Clinicians working in intensive care and consumers with lived experience of intensive care as patients or family members. Interventions Not applicable. Results Fifty-five participants submitted 136 research questions, which were consolidated into 76 indicative questions and subsequently shortlisted to 30 for interim prioritisation. Eighty-three participants completed the ranking survey. Sixteen stakeholders (clinicians and consumers) participated in the final workshop, resulting in consensus on 12 priority research questions. Key priorities included clinical and technology-enabled decision-making, survivorship and recovery, workforce and systems of care, and delirium prevention. Consumer partnership and implementation were identified as overarching principles underpinning future research. Conclusions These priorities provide a stakeholder-informed foundation for future intensive care research, supporting collaborative research programs, funding strategies, and meaningful researcher–clinician–consumer partnerships.