Abstract
The Population Studies Research Network of Cancer Care Ontario hosted a strategic planning workshop to establish an agenda for a prevention intervention research program in Ontario, including priority topics for investigation and design considerations.
The two-day workshop included: presentations on background papers developed to facilitate participants’ preparation for and discussions in the workshop; keynote presentations on intervention research concerning primary prevention of chronic diseases, design and study implementation considerations; a dedicated session on critical and creative thinking to stimulate participation and discussion topics; breakout groups to identify, discuss and present study ideas, designs, implementation considerations; and a consensus process to discuss and identify recommendations for research priorities and next steps.
The retreat yielded the following recommendations: 1) develop an intervention research agenda that includes working with existing large-scale cohorts; 2) develop an intervention research agenda that includes novel research designs that could target individuals or groups; and 3) develop an intervention research agenda in which studies collect data on costs, define stakeholders, and ensure clear strategies for stakeholder engagement and knowledge transfer.
The Population Studies Research Network will develop options from these recommendations and release a call for proposals in 2014 for intervention research pilot projects that reflect these recommendations. Pilot projects will be evaluated based on their fit with the retreat’s recommendations, and their potential to scale up to full studies and application in practice.
Keywords: Research design, cohort studies, intervention studies, randomized controlled trials, prevention and control
Résumé
Le réseau de recherche «Étude de la population» d’Action Cancer Ontario a organisé un atelier de planification stratégique afin de fixer l’agenda d’un programme de recherche d’intervention sur la prévention en Ontario, y compris les thèmes prioritaires à aborder et les éléments à considérer dans le plan d’étude.
L’atelier de deux jours incluait: des présentations sur les documents de base élaborés pour faciliter la préparation des participants et leurs discussions durant l’atelier; des allocutions sur la recherche d’intervention axée sur la prévention primaire des maladies chroniques, le plan d’étude et les éléments à considérer dans la mise en œuvre de l’étude; une séance consacrée à la pensée critique et créatrice pour stimuler la participation et les sujets de discussion; la formation de petits groupes pour cerner, discuter et présenter des idées d’étude, des plans d’étude et des éléments à considérer pour la mise en œuvre; et un exercice de consensus pour discuter des priorités de recherche et de la suite des choses et formuler des recommandations.
Ces journées de réflexion ont produit les recommandations suivantes: 1) élaborer un agenda pour la recherche d’intervention incluant l’utilisation des cohortes à grande échelle existantes; 2) élaborer un agenda pour la recherche d’intervention incluant des plans de recherche novateurs qui pourraient cibler des particuliers ou des groupes; et 3) élaborer un agenda pour la recherche d’intervention avec des études pour recueillir des données sur les coûts, identifier les acteurs du milieu et présenter des stratégies claires pour la mobilisation des acteurs et le transfert des connaissances.
Le réseau de recherche «Étude de la population» formulera des options à partir de ces recommandations et lancera un appel de propositions en 2014 pour des projets-pilotes de recherche d’intervention qui reflètent ces recommandations. Les projets-pilotes seront évalués selon leur degré de correspondance avec les recommandations de l’atelier, leur potentiel de transformation en études complètes et leurs possibilités de mise en pratique.
Mots clés: plan de recherche, études de cohortes, études d’intervention, essais comparatifs randomisés, prévention et contrôle
Footnotes
Sources of support: The workshop on which this commentary was based was supported by Cancer Care Ontario. Neither the process of the workshop nor the preparation of the commentary was influenced by the funder.
Acknowledgements: Lyle Palmer was formerly Executive Scientific Director of the Ontario Health Study.
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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