Past, present and future challenges in health care priority setting.

Area of Science:

• Health Systems Research
• Health Policy
• Priority Setting

Background:

• Current global conditions necessitate robust health system priority setting.
• Appreciation for evidence, interests, culture, and outcomes is replacing simplistic solutions.
• Assessing progress and identifying urgent needs in health priority setting is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss achievements and challenges in health priority setting.
• To identify areas for future research in the discipline.
• To inform policy, practice, and decision-making globally.

Main Methods:

• International online survey of priority setting experts (February-March 2015).
• Open-ended questions focused on achievements, challenges, and future research needs.
• Data analysis of expert responses.

Main Results:

• Notable achievements: Decision-making frameworks and Engagement.
• Key challenges: Priority setting in practice and Awareness and education.
• Future research areas: Priority setting in practice and Engagement.

Conclusions:

• Study reaffirms longstanding themes in priority setting literature.
• Identifies shifts in emphasis within the discipline.
• Findings provide a platform for global discussion on health priority setting policy, practice, and research.