Steps for Identifying Psychological Health Evidence Synthesis Topics: Gap Analysis, Research Prioritization, and Synthesis Need Identification

Abstract

This case study describes the decision points and considerations required to produce an unbiased list of priority topics appropriate for evidence synthesis. Standard processes to facilitate research translation are needed to manage the multitude of steps involved in moving research into practice. Evidence synthesis is a key aspect of research translation, because it establishes the effectiveness and translation readiness of a given research topic. Evidence synthesis is resource intensive, and decisions about what evidence to synthesize should be made systematically so that resources are used efficiently. Here, we detail the multistep approach we took to identify research gaps, to assess stakeholder priorities, and to determine the feasibility and need of pursuing an evidence synthesis for each high-priority topic. We identified and reviewed authoritative sources and collated research gaps, translated research gaps into topics that could be readily prioritized, identified stakeholders and developed a prioritization rating system, and determined synthesis needs by establishing how feasible and non-duplicative efforts were to pursue evidence synthesis of the high-priority topics.

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