Collaborative priority setting for human immunodeficiency virus rehabilitation research: A case report

The inclusion of community members and other stakeholders in the establishment of research priorities is vital to ensuring that priorities are congruent with the main concerns of affected communities.

The purpose of this project was to identify priority research topics for addressing the activity and community participation needs of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and meaningfully involve multiple stakeholders in the development of those priorities.

We invited people living with HIV, researchers, service providers, and policy makers to a 2-day forum. Twenty-six people participated in developing priorities through the application of two methodologies, the World Café and Dotmocracy. We evaluated the forum though immediate dialogue and a postproject survey.

Participants identified 10 high-priority research topics. Evaluation findings highlighted positive substantive, instrumental, personal, and normative outcomes of stakeholder involvement.

The identified priority topics can guide future occupational therapy practice and research in this emerging area.