The Top Ten Research Priorities for Outpatient Service Delivery: A South West London Outpatient Transformation Group...

Outpatient appointments account for 85% of hospital activity and are fundamental to the running of the National Health Service (NHS). The COVID-19 pandemic and government initiatives have prompted outpatient services transformation. We aimed to determine research priorities for outpatient transformation, which represent the shared priorities of patients, their families, carers and healthcare professionals.

We established a national (UK) priority setting partnership (PSP) with the James Lind Alliance (JLA) to capture the top 10 research priorities regarding outpatient service delivery. Research priorities were identified by patients, carers, healthcare professionals and outpatient administrative teams during two nationwide surveys from June 2022 to December 2023.

The top research priorities included how to identify and complete all necessary tests and relevant medical history before an outpatient appointment, establishing the most effective ways to decrease the time gap between an investigation and sharing the results with patients, and how to involve patients in decisions regarding their care. Additional priorities included establishing the best ways of deciding which types of conditions can be managed virtually, how technology can be incorporated into patient care, and the best ways to deliver information to patients about their conditions. The need to improve the outpatient experience was also highlighted.

We have identified the top 10 research priorities to be developed and disseminated to research funders and key policy stakeholders. We hope that this process will inform future national research strategies and funding to ensure that outpatient transformation addresses the themes highlighted from the PSP.