Using responsive evaluation to shape research: Engaging and collaborating with stakeholders in the international...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Gerontology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Multimorbidity (MM) presents a significant global health challenge.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial for addressing MM.
• The third International Symposium on Multimorbidity convened stakeholders to discuss MM research and care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To facilitate knowledge exchange and stakeholder engagement on key MM challenges.
• To inform the symposium agenda based on expert-identified priorities.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the symposium format.

Main Methods:

• A structured responsive evaluation approach with continuous stakeholder involvement.
• Pre-symposium survey distributed to 116 international experts (85 responses) to identify pressing MM topics.
• Post-symposium survey to assess participant satisfaction and gather feedback (19% response rate).

Main Results:

• Key topics identified: medication management, coordinated care, MM measurement, AI applications, overdiagnosis/overtreatment.
• Symposium agenda informed by expert priorities; 16 countries represented.
• High participant satisfaction reported (85.5% would recommend), with feedback on topic breadth, practical applications, and networking.

Conclusions:

• The symposium effectively fostered discussion and knowledge exchange via a stakeholder-driven format.
• Recommendations for future symposia: expand topics, add practical elements, improve logistics, and use real-time feedback.
• Emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary and participant-centered approaches in academic event planning for MM advancement.