100 JLA PSPs: Life after the Top 10

Although it is a great achievement to now have 100 Top 10s published by James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs), success is not just about getting to the Top 10 priorities for research. What each PSP plans to do to support the priorities after they are agreed is vital. This needs to be planned for at the start of the PSP. PSPs should consider up front their aims and their long terms plans for the priorities including how they will encourage funders and researchers to address the priorities.

JLA PSPs establish and agree their research priorities by undertaking a rigorous process that involves hundreds or even thousands of patients, carers and health and care professionals. Once the priorities are agreed, it’s clear that making sure the priorities influence the right people requires a considerable amount of planning and resource. One PSP told us:

“Traditional dissemination of the Top 10 through publications and presentations will occur over the next 6 months. Planning for broader dissemination and uptake by funding bodies will begin within the next 2 months and will be ongoing for the foreseeable future”.

Continued collaboration once the priorities are set is important. We are always delighted to hear about PSPs continuing to work with patients, carers and clinicians to promote the priorities through their own networks. This continued collaboration is also important in making sure that the spirit of the original questions is maintained when priorities are translated into research projects. A PSP told us about this next stage:

"It was inclusive and felt like a bottom-up approach - it was practical, and the priorities arrived at were meaningful. The next stage is crucial to ensure that the essence of the priorities is not lost once the research questions are developed."

If you'd like to find out more about the difference that PSPs make, you can read more on the JLA website. And if you have more questions, please email the team on jla@southampton.ac.uk.