Context
To focus the clinical research efforts of the Centre, the NCCRED priority setting study engaged nationally with key alcohol and other drug clinical, research, and consumer stakeholders in Australia to determine clinical research priorities.
Research design
The study undertook the guidance provided in the Nine Common Themes of Good Practice, a published checklist for guiding research priority setting procedures. These are: context; comprehensiveness of approach; inclusiveness; information gathering; planning for implementation; criteria; methods for deciding on priorities; evaluation; transparency.
The study consisted of four phases:
- An online survey of stakeholders
- A qualitative thematic analysis (assessment of survey responses)
- A brief literature review assessing the themes identified by respondents against published peer-reviewed data
- Presentation of all results and literature reviews to an independent expert panel.
The NCCRED Methamphetamine and Emerging Drugs Clinical Research Network working group functioned as the expert panel.
Outcomes
Results were ranked, and the top three priorities for methamphetamine clinical research and the top three priorities for emerging drugs clinical research were presented to NCCRED and the NCCRED Board.
For methamphetamine:
Overcoming barriers to intervention uptake (e.g at time of crisis in emergency departments or primary health care)
Pilot pharmacotherapy trials for adults seeking treatment
Effective communication strategies for consumers on available treatments and the evidence-based options.
For emerging drugs:
Fixed-site community-located drug checking / pill testing (connected to an early warning system)
Feasibility of social media and other creative opportunities to alert consumers and reduce harm
GHB overdose and withdrawal management
Early warning system / shared information – pooling and sharing information and assessing the impact of reducing harm.
Published papers