Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39414284›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2024

How professional development can be supported for health and care research methodologists: results of the PROfesSionnal develoPmEnt for Research methodologists (PROSPER) e-Delphi and consensus study.

Mais Iflaifel, Paula R Williamson, Eleanor J Mitchell

Abstract readConsensus Statement
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Mais IflaifelFaculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Pharmacy, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2926-3686
Paula R WilliamsonMRC-NIHR Trials Methodology Research Partnership, Department of Health Data Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9802-6636
Eleanor J MitchellNottingham Clinical Trials Unit, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK Eleanor.Mitchell@nottingham.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6998-4533

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveResearch methodologists play a pivotal role in health and care research, yet they face many challenges relating to their professional development. The PROfesSional develoPmEnt for Research methodologists study was designed to understand and prioritise the professional development and capacity-building needs of research methodologists in the UK. DESIGN, SETTING AND

participantsThree-round electronic Delphi (e-Delphi) survey, with input from stakeholders in the development of the candidate list of professional development aspects followed by a national consensus meeting of health and care research methodologists in the UK.

main outcome measuresRated importance of each professional development aspects on a 9-point scale.

results207 participants gave their consent to participate in the e-Delphi survey. 189 (91%) completed round 1 and 76% completed all three rounds. In round 1, 35 professional development aspects were rated by priority, with 21 additional aspects suggested by participants and included in subsequent rounds. Rounds 2 and 3 involved rating 56 aspects: 22 achieved 'consensus in', 20 were 'consensus out' and 14 had 'no consensus'. The top 'consensus in' aspects were supportive line managers, clear career pathways and promotion criteria and time for training. A consensus meeting with 18 participants rerated the 14 'no consensus' aspects, adding three more to the final list. The final list includes 25 priority areas for research methodologists' professional development.

conclusionsThis study has established the priorities from a professional development perspective for research methodologists. These priorities particularly focus on the importance of support from others, training and development, the value and recognition of the role, employer/contractual agreements and methodological research funding. The list of priorities could help individuals, managers, employers and research funders to improve professional development opportunities and could form the start of the development of a 'methodologists' charter'.

Indexed as

Delphi TechniqueAdultCapacity BuildingFemaleHealth Services ResearchHumansMaleMiddle AgedResearch PersonnelStaff DevelopmentSurveys and QuestionnairesUnited KingdomHealthmethodology

Identifiers

PMID39414284
PMCPMC11487819

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.