Lay and professional stakeholder involvement in scoping palliative care issues: Methods used in seven European countries.
Stakeholders are people with an interest in a topic. Internationally, stakeholder involvement in palliative care research and health technology assessment requires development. Stakeholder involvement adds value throughout research (from prioritising topics to disseminating findings). Philosophies and understandings about the best ways to involve stakeholders in research differ internationally. Stakeholder involvement took place in seven countries (England, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Poland). Findings informed a project that developed concepts and methods for health technology assessment and applied these to evaluate models of palliative care service delivery.



To report on stakeholder involvement in the INTEGRATE-HTA project and how issues identified informed project development.



Using stakeholder consultation or a qualitative research design, as appropriate locally, stakeholders in seven countries acted as 'advisors' to aid researchers' decision making. Thematic analysis was used to identify key issues across countries.



A total of 132 stakeholders (82 professionals and 50 'lay' people) aged ⩾18 participated in individual face-to-face or telephone interviews, consultation meetings or focus groups.



Different stakeholder involvement methods were used successfully to identify key issues in palliative care. A total of 23 issues common to three or more countries informed decisions about the intervention and comparator of interest, sub questions and specific assessments within the health technology assessment.



Stakeholders, including patients and families undergoing palliative care, can inform project decision making using various involvement methods according to the local context. Researchers should consider local understandings about stakeholder involvement as views of appropriate and feasible methods vary. Methods for stakeholder involvement, especially consultation, need further development.
1 ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Louise
L
Brereton
2 School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Christine
C
Ingleton
2 School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Clare
C
Gardiner
1 ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Elizabeth
E
Goyder
4 Department of Health Services Research, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
Kati
K
Mozygemba
5 Centre for Medical Ethics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Kristin Bakke
KB
Lysdahl
6 Department for Health Evidence, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Marcia
M
Tummers
7 Institute of Bioethics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
Dario
D
Sacchini
8 Department of Palliative Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
Wojciech
W
Leppert
9 Department of Nursing and Care, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
Aurelija
A
Blaževičienė
6 Department for Health Evidence, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Gert Jan
GJ
van der Wilt
7 Institute of Bioethics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
Pietro
P
Refolo
7 Institute of Bioethics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
Martina
M
De Nicola
1 ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
James
J
Chilcott
10 Health Unit, ECORYS Nederland B.V., Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Wija
W
Oortwijn
D005060:Europe; D017144:Focus Groups; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care; D036301:Qualitative Research; D000073597:Stakeholder Participation
Patient involvement; health technology assessment; palliative care