Stroke clinicians' priorities for stroke research

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify research questions perceived as important by clinicians who treat stroke survivors in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Methods: A cross-sectional, 3-round Delphi survey method was used. Participants invited to respond in Round I included stroke researchers (n=26); Rounds II and III included stroke clinicians (n=470) identified from NSW Health Stroke Services and/or NSW Rural Stroke Service databases. Participants in Round I were asked to identify stroke research questions of the highest priority; participants in Rounds II and III then rated these research questions on both importance and feasibility using a 5-point Likert scale. Results: Responses were received from 14 expert stroke researchers during Round I (54%), 38 stroke clinicians (8%) in Round II, and 56 stroke clinicians (12%) in Round III. Research topics rated as “very important” were interventions that target life-long rehabilitation, best methods for providing post-discharge rehabilitation, and delivery of physical rehabilitation.Conclusions: Clinicians who provide day-to-day stroke care perceive that the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions and delivery require investigation as a key priority.