2016 Research Priority Setting Process

About the competition

Canadian Frailty Network held an open competition for a Research Priority Setting Process service contract to determine patient-centred research priorities relating to health care of frail older Canadians. Research priorities will be developed in a fair and transparent way, with equal input from the perspectives of older Canadians and their family caregivers, and clinicians and allied health care professionals.

The selected organization or research team will use a consultative process that effectively engages citizens while establishing research priorities, preferably using a process consistent with the James Lind Alliance (JLA) Protocol (http://www.jla.nihr.ac.uk/) to establish research priorities.

This Research Priority Setting Process will bring patients and clinicians together to identify uncertainties about medical care management (i.e., diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment) relating to health care of frail older Canadians, across the spectrum of care settings, including those at end of life. Participants will agree by consensus a prioritized list of ten (10) to fifteen (15) unanswered questions regarding medical care management.

Background

Canada’s population is aging, with the sharpest rise among Canadians 85 years and older. Close to 25% of Canadians over 65, and over half of those past 85 are medically frail, which means there will be well over two million Canadians within the next 20 years. Frailty and late life represent leading causes of misaligned health care resources, clinical practices, and care options because there is limited evidence on how to medically treat and care for older people who are frail. At the crux of this, is the fact that older seniors with multiple conditions want coordinated, person-centred care rather than to be treated as a collection of diseases treated separately.

Timing and Budget

The research priority setting process should be completed within 12 months from the signing of the contract, with a maximum budget of $50,000 plus funding for a final face-to-face meeting.

Application Process

The Program was launched on February 8, 2016. Full Applications by March 7, 2016.

Eligibility and requirements were outlined in the  Request for Proposals. and applicants were required to use the Proposal Application.