Report from the JLA Symposium 23 June 2015. Learning from JLA Evaluations - Shaping Future JLA Methods

In June this year, we hosted a symposium to bring together people who have carried out evaluations of JLA methods and outcomes. The event was an opportunity to learn and reflect on the experiences of more than a decade of priority setting to help shape future JLA methods. It produced some lively debate with many methodological issues raised, calls for additional guidance as well as suggestions for additional research and evaluation.

The JLA was established in 2004 to give patients, carers and clinicians a voice in setting research priorities. Since its inception, it has overseen the completion of 31 Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs) with a further 23 on-going and more in preparation. The PSPs have identified priorities in a wide range of topics covering areas such as asthma, schizophrenia, and palliative and end of life care, helping to ensure that funded research reflects the needs of those it affects. The partnerships have generated a wealth of information and a considerable body of work has been conducted to evaluate different aspects of JLA methodology, its impact on the research community and the users of research such as patients and health care professionals.

We will be taking forward many of the outcomes from the symposium to support the important work of the JLA. These include establishing a mechanism for engagement and shared learning across the JLA community, as well as a way for on-going PSPs to learn and share experiences and methods with each other. Suggestions for additional guidance will be incorporated into an updated version of the JLA Guidebook. 

We are very grateful to Sally Crowe, Crowe Associates Ltd who chaired the symposium and prepared the report - JLA Symposium 23 June 2015 - Learning from JLA Evaluations - Shaping Future JLA Methods (.PDF). 

Copies of the slides presented on the day (pdf, 1895.63 KB) (.PDF) are also available.