Which topics will be considered?

Priorities should reflect the views of those who are involved in, and affected by, the decisions that policy briefs will inform. Although involving large numbers of people in decisions about which policy briefs to prepare is unlikely to be practical, it is useful to consult policy makers and stakeholders as widely as possible about which issues could be discussed in a priority-setting process. This will help to generate ideas and clarify the topics for which a policy brief could be prepared. Consultation may be within a broad area identified previously as a priority, such as maternal and child health or human resources for health, or may include any health system problem or goal.

Consultation methods may include:

• A call for topics (problems or issues) using a simple, user-friendly questionnaire – The call should allow sufficient time to collect any additional information needed to prioritise the proposed topics. This call should probably occur within one to three months of when a decision will be taken about which topics to prioritise. At this stage, the relative importance of topics is unlikely to change substantially before the decision is made
• An email box or open phone line to which suggestions for topics can be submitted at any time
• Eliciting suggestions for topics at face-to-face or telephone meetings with key informants, an advisory board or a panel of policymakers, researchers and stakeholders – This method has the advantage of facilitating the rapid clarification of proposed topics and the rapid collection of information needed to inform decisions about priorities. Meetings have the added advantage of allowing policymakers and stakeholders to interact
• Inviting comments on proposed topics – For example, after an initial list of potential topics has been identified, input from stakeholders might be elicited online (by posting the topics on a website) or through personal communication with key policymakers and stakeholders by email, post or telephone
• Interviews, focus groups or surveys – These standard methods for collecting qualitative or quantitative data may be used to consult stakeholders about their views regarding priorities. Although these methods may often not often be practical or necessary, they may occasionally be used to collect specific types of information reliably, and help to resolve disagreements or uncertainties about the relative importance of the topics proposed

Stakeholders may sometimes suggest topics unsuitable for inclusion in a policy brief (e.g. topics that are either very broad or vague). Those topics that cannot be clarified rapidly may require additional consultation steps and contact with those who proposed them or with other key informants.

This page was last updated November 2011.