Model rural health research units in India: A research priority setting exercise

Background & Objectives Research in rural health has historically been opportunistic, lacking alignment with strategic goals or community needs. The Government of India established Model Rural Health Research Units (MRHRUs) to address these disparities through targeted research. However, inconsistent outputs highlight the need for a strategic research agenda. Identifying research priorities is critical to inform policy and funding strategies of MRHRUs. Methods A nationwide Research Priority Setting (RPS) exercise was conducted, involving 120 respondents for free listing of questions, and 250 for ranking. Respondents from various stakeholder groups, including policymakers, researchers, and community representatives, participated. Research priorities were categorised into three domains - Description, Development, and Delivery. An iterative process was employed to refine and consolidate the 122 research questions into 36, which were subsequently ranked using a scoring system that assessed their importance, feasibility, and impact. The list of priorities was finalised through stakeholder deliberation. Results The top five research priorities across the three domains addressing key rural health challenges as identified in this study are presented. 'Descriptive' priorities included investigating social determinants of hypertension, medicine supply chain bottlenecks, and mental health in the elderly. 'Development' priorities focused on interventions using electronic health records in hospitals, tuberculosis control, and menstrual hygiene education. 'Delivery' priorities emphasised improving healthcare resilience, emergency care, and technology-driven diabetes management. These priorities were disseminated to MRHRU managers and policymakers to guide decisions with regard to perceived priorities for research in rural health. Interpretation & conclusions This first-of-its-kind RPS exercise provides inputs towards a strategic roadmap for rural health research, ensuring that future studies align with the needs of rural populations, leading to improved health outcomes. These findings illustrate perceptions and priorities of a selection of respondents from different stakeholder groups and need to be taken into consideration by the Department of Health Research and at the local level by each of the MRHRUs.