Evidence synthesis research priorities and informing a research agenda for a United States non-profit chiropractic research collaborative: a survey and consensus study

Background Evidence synthesis research methodologies rigorously and methodically scrutinize scientific literature with the intent to analyze and summarize. The purpose of this study was to engage United States (U.S.) chiropractic profession stakeholders to identify evidence synthesis research priorities to inform an organizational research agenda for Clinical Compass . Methods A multi-phased approach was conducted from April through December 2025: (1) Open-ended survey to gather topics within a “Population”, “Intervention”, “Comparator”, and “Outcomes” (PICO) framework; (2) e-Delphi process to rate importance of PICO; (3) Rating of PICO topic priorities with consensus set at ≥ 80% with a median ≥ 7 (range 1–9); and (4) 30-day open public comment period. U.S. stakeholders ( n = 89) from U.S. chiropractic organizations were invited to the first 3 phases, and phase 4 sought national and global input. REDCap was used for data collection for phases 1 through 3. Descriptive statistics and analysis were conducted with Microsoft Excel. Results A total of 63 invited individuals (71%) participated in Phase 1, with 54 (61%) and 46 (52%) completing Phases 2 and 3, respectively. Representing 14 stakeholder organizations and eight Doctor of Chiropractic programs, participants identified 297 topics in Phase (1) Twenty-seven (9%) of the 297 topics achieved consensus in Phase (2) Of these, the top-rated topics in Phase 3 were three populations (“older adults and adults”, “high-impact chronic pain”, “chronic neck pain”) and two outcomes (“function” and “cost-effectiveness”). Seven public comments were received from two international organizations, which did not impact the overall findings. Conclusions This study identified evidence synthesis research priorities aligned with population and outcome components of PICO. These findings provide a stakeholder-generated foundation to guide future evidence synthesis efforts of chiropractic and complementary and integrative health researchers. The results will support the development of an informed and coordinated U.S.-based organizational research agenda for Clinical Compass , which may substantially influence clinical practice, state and federal policy, third-party reimbursement, and patient safety.