Identification of important respiratory research themes relevant to primary care: qualitative analysis of round 1 of the 2020 International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) Research Prioritisation Exercise

28 Oct 2020

An update of the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) Research Needs Statement is currently being undertaken using an e-Delphi method. The aim of this analysis is to identify the main respiratory research themes from the perspective of primary care practitioners worldwide.

Participants were recruited via the IPCRG network of 34 member countries. An initial open questionnaire elicited participants’ views on the most important respiratory conditions seen in their daily practice and invited suggestions of 5-10 relevant research questions within these conditions in the following domains: diagnosis, management, monitoring, self-management and prognosis. Using thematic qualitative analysis we identified the main cross-cutting research themes.

112 participants (69% physicians, 10% nurses, 21% other, 64% had special interest in respiratory) from 27 countries responded with 608 suggested research questions. Asthma was reported as the most clinically important condition (25.7%) followed by COPD (24.5%) and URTI (5.8%).

Five themes emerged from the thematic analysis: uncertainties about diagnosis/management of respiratory conditions; need for contextually relevant and accessible guidance; need for methods to improve patient empowerment and self-management; role of the wider healthcare team; need for simple point-of-care tests.

The eDelphi method is successful in identifying relevant research questions and the main themes pertinent to primary care worldwide. These research questions now need to be prioritised for investigation by the international community.

 

Footnotes

Cite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2020; 56: Suppl. 64, 4017.

This abstract was presented at the 2020 ERS International Congress, in session “Respiratory viruses in the "pre COVID-19" era”.

Resource information

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Abstract
Author(s)
Arwa Abdel-Aal1⇑, Rachel Jordan2, Peymané Adab2, Rachel Adam2, Amanda Barnard3, Izolde Bouloukaki4, Job Fm Van Boven5, Niels Chavannes6, Andy Dickens2, Frederik Van Gemert5, Mercedes Escarrer7, Shamil Haroon2, Alex Kayongo8, Bruce Kirenga9, Janwillem Kocks10, Daniel Kotz11, Karin Lisspers12, Chris Newby13, Cliodna Mcnulty14, Esther Metting15, Luis Moral16, Sophia Papadakis17, Hilary Pinnock18, David Price19, Dermot Ryan18, Sally Singh20, Jaime Correia De Sousa21, Björn Ställberg12, Stanley J. Szefler22, Steph Taylor23, Ioanna Tsiligianni4, Alice Turner24, David Weller18 and Siân Williams25 1Hull York Medical School, Hull/ York, United Kingdom 2The University of Birmingham , Birmingham, United Kingdom 3Charles Strut University and Australian National University, Sydney, Australia 4University of Crete, Crete, Greece 5University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands 6Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands 7Centro de Salud San Agustín and Spanish Pediatric Society of Clinical Immunology, Asthma and Allergy, Mallorca, Spain 8Makerere University Lung Institute, Kampala, Uganda 9Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda 10International Primary Care Respiratory Group, Groningen, Netherlands 11Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany 12Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden 13Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom 14Gloucester Public Health England, Gloucester, United Kingdom 15University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands 16Alicante University General Hospital, Alicante, Spain 17University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada 18University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom 19Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore 20University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, United Kingdom 21University of Minho, Porto, Portugal 22University of Colorado, Colorado, United States of America 23Barts and the London School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom 24University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom 25International Primary Care Respiratory Group, England, United Kingdom Arwa Abdel-Aal, Hull York Medical School, Hull/ York, United Kingdom. E-mail: hyaa43@hyms.ac.uk