Table 2.

Three highest-ranked research ideas for each of the predefined priority-setting criteria

	Research idea	RPS	AEA (%)
Answerability
1	Investigation of the correlation between prognostic scores using the ISARIC 4C Mortality Score* at hospital admission and morbidity at 3 months and 12 months after hospital discharge in patients with and without pre-existing airways disease	0·864	83·8
7	Assessment of whether recovery from severe COVID-19 pneumonia is worse for current smokers with COPD than for non-smokers with COPD	0·838	80·8
25	Investigation of the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of people with COPD	0·773	75·4
Feasibility
1	Investigation of the correlation between prognostic scores using the ISARIC 4C Mortality Score* at hospital admission and morbidity at 3 months and 12 months after hospital discharge in patients with and without pre-existing airways disease	0·864	83·8
15	Estimation of the incidence of pulmonary embolism up to 1 year after acute COVID-19	0·802	78·8
17	Examination of whether changes on chest x-ray and CT scans in patients with COVID-19 correlate with subsequent long-term symptoms and outcomes	0·796	76·3
Timeliness
1	Investigation of the correlation between prognostic scores using the ISARIC 4C Mortality Score* at hospital admission and morbidity at 3 months and 12 months after hospital discharge in patients with and without pre-existing airways disease	0·864	83·8
15	Estimation of the incidence of pulmonary embolism up to 1 year after acute COVID-19	0·802	78·8
2	Assessment of whether 3-month and 6-month post-COVID-19 fatigue, sarcopenia, anxiety, and depression scores are worse in patients with pre-existing airways disease than in those without pre-existing airways disease, and whether any difference is significant when adjusted for severity of in-patient disease	0·852	84·6
Burden
21	Investigation of whether patients at risk of persisting disability after COVID-19 can be identified (eg, with disease indicators at the acute event, frailty scores, or nutritional scores) and targeted for rehabilitation, nutritional interventions, or both	0·778	75·4
14	Assessment of the effects of nutritional status (nutritional depletion or obesity) on recovery from COVID-19 in patients with airways disease and whether this can be modified by nutritional interventions	0·804	77·9
5	Development and validation of tools for remote monitoring of symptoms, and for self-monitoring of symptoms, especially in patients with pre-existing airways disease	0·841	82·1
Equity
21	Investigation of whether patients at risk of persisting disability after COVID-19 can be identified (eg, with disease indicators at the acute event, frailty scores, or nutritional scores) and targeted for rehabilitation, nutritional interventions, or both	0·778	75·4
4	Identification of the predictors of hospital readmission after COVID-19 in patients with pre-existing airways disease compared with those without pre-existing airways disease	0·847	83·3
28	Development of scores to predict long-term respiratory disease severity and risk of mortality in survivors of acute COVID-19	0·764	73·8

Research ideas are numbered by their overall RPS rank.²⁶ AEA=average expert agreement. COPD=chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. ISARIC=International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infections Consortium.³⁴ RPS=research priority score.

^*A risk stratification score used to predict in-hospital mortality for patients with COVID-19.