Researchers, funders and policymakers have traditionally driven research into pregnancy hypertension. While this research has led to important advances, the questions that matter most to women, families and those providing care are not always reflected in research agendas.
To help address this, the PAPAGAIO programme has launched the Pregnancy Hypertension Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) in Sierra Leone and Zambia using the internationally recognised James Lind Alliance (JLA) methodology.
The PSP brings together women with lived experience of pregnancy hypertension, their partners and carers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to identify the most important unanswered questions about pregnancy hypertension. Rather than researchers deciding what should be studied next, everyone involved has an equal opportunity to contribute the questions they believe future research should answer.
The partnership focuses on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy across the continuum of care, including before pregnancy, during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. Participants can submit questions relating to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, long-term health, health services, information and support, or any other aspect of pregnancy hypertension that they feel requires further research.
All submitted questions will be reviewed and combined where appropriate. Existing evidence will then be examined to identify genuine research uncertainties before stakeholders work together through subsequent stages of the JLA process to prioritise the questions that matter most. The final Top 10 research priorities will help guide future research and funding towards areas with the greatest potential to improve care and outcomes for women and their babies.
Whether you have experienced pregnancy hypertension yourself, cared for someone who has, provide maternity care, conduct research or contribute to health policy, your perspective is important.
To learn more about the Pregnancy Hypertension Priority Setting Partnership, find out how the process works and take part in the survey, visit the official James Lind Alliance PSP webpage here. If you have seen our posters, you can also access the survey directly by scanning the relevant QR code for Sierra Leone or Zambia.
