Table 3.

Top 12 priority topics for health communication and participation research (Adapted from [26])

Health communication and participation research priority topics	Votes (n)
Top 12 priority topics
1. The term patient-centred care is poorly understood and implemented by health services and health professionals	13
2. Some health professionals do not provide enough information to patients (some health professionals do not think it is a priority)	12
3. Breakdowns in communication and coordination of care between and within health services are common	11
4. Health services do not properly involve consumers and carers in health service planning and design	10
5. There is not enough support or understanding about the needs of older people and end-of-life decisions are poorly understood by patients, families and the community	9
6. Consumers and carers do not always know about all the options or services that exist	9
7. The quality and safety of patient care can be compromised by health services (particularly hospitals) not treating patients holistically	9
8. Transitions between health services are a particularly vulnerable communication time	8
9. There are often two-way barriers to adequate communication and participation (e.g. disability of individual plus discomfort of health professional)	7
10. The general public does not always have enough health literacy to navigate the health system and make health decisions	7
11. Consumers and carers are not always able to participate actively in their care	7
12. Some health professionals do not understand or ask patients about their preferences and priorities	7
Priority topics not ranked in the top 12
13. Patients do not always understand their health problems, treatment options or their rights	5
14. Health professionals do not always provide enough support for patient decision-making	4
15. ‘Official’ health information can be contradictory and hard to understand, both written and online. Consumers and professionals do not know how to find and assess good quality information online	4
16. Informed consent for treatment and research does not always happen	3
17. Cultural safety is not well-embedded in health services	3
18. Health researchers do not adequately involve patients in research, nor share their findings	3
19. Patients often experience information overload and are unable to retain the important information	2
20. Not enough time is given to allow good communication between health professionals and patients	1
21. Consumers and carers have difficulty understanding key medication information	1
22. Health professionals do not always know how to gauge how much their patients understanda	Not applicablea

^aThis research priority was inadvertently not visible to participants during the voting activity, and as such, we could not generate a final rank. The A3 poster for this priority topic was placed on the back of a door which was subsequently opened during the workshop, meaning it was hidden from participants’ and facilitators’ view during the voting activity