Evaluation of a process for research agenda-setting in primary dental care

The Shirley Glasstone Hughes Trust Fund (SGHTF) instigated a research agenda-setting process to ensure its primary research commissioning was targeted at the topics of most relevance to primary dental care practitioners. Overall, the objective was to reduce barriers to evidence-based dentistry practice. A web-based system generated research topic nominations, and a resource- constrained rapid evidence review process produced Evidence Summaries for use by practitioners and research commissioners, launched in May 2009. Nine Evidence Summaries were published in the British Dental Journal, and SGHTF used these outputs to inform research commissioning. This health services mixed methods research aimed to evaluate the implementation of the SGHTF research agenda-setting process. Feasibility and effectiveness of setting up and running the web-based system, and implementation of the newly-designed rapid review process was assessed using a range of component studies: semi-structured interviews with research commissioners; quantitative and qualitative assessment of the reviewer's activity diaries; quantitative assessment of dental practitioners' research topic nominations and voting (online topic prioritisation); postal surveys (as part of the British Dental Association's national Omnibus Surveys) to dentists, and an e- survey to research commissioners to assess usefulness and relevance of research topics generated and rapid reviews completed. The findings showed that both the web-based system and the rapid review process were feasible. However, levels of engagement with the former by dentists were modest, due to the implementation approach. Evidence Summaries were found to be of relevance and useful to practitioners and research commissioners. Similar organisations seeking to enhance evidence-based practice are encouraged to draw upon relevant expertise at an early stage in planning new initiatives. Full appreciation of what communication is possible through online means, how it fits into their mission overall, and what is involved, is required at the outset to achieve successful on line stakeholder relationship building.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo