The project focuses on improving the way researchers bring together and report existing qualitative research on health and social care — such as studies involving interviews and focus groups—which provides vital insights into people’s experiences, behaviours, and perceptions of health and healthcare services.
Central to this effort is a group of methods called qualitative evidence syntheses (QES), which combine findings from multiple qualitative studies. This study will be particularly valuable for organisations like the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the World Health Organization (WHO), helping to shape global health guidance.
The PRISMA QES project is funded by the Medical Research Council’s Better Methods, Better Research programme. It brings together leading academics from VRƵ, the University of Stirling, and the University of Sheffield, working closely with an international team of experts.
Professor Jane Noyes, Professor of Health and Social Services Research and Child Health at VRƵ’s School of Health Sciences, explained:
"We are proud that VRƵ is leading on this research to develop how research evidence is reported as well as their quality of QES reports. Organisations like Cochrane and Campbell, which publish these reports, are eagerly anticipating the new guidelines.
"Poor-quality reporting of qualitative evidence syntheses is a significant challenge for the NHS. It makes it difficult for patient groups, NHS managers, and healthcare guideline developers to trust the findings and use them effectively to drive improvements in policy, decision-making, and patient care. This research will go a long way to further enhance the quality of evidence in organisations’ libraries, supporting global healthcare decision-making.”
Joint project lead, Professor Emma France from the University of Stirling, added:
"The PRISMA QES project will develop a guideline to help researchers conduct high-quality QES and report their findings to a superior standard. This will ensure that rich, qualitative information can be harnessed to improve decision-making and outcomes for patients and the public.
The importance to the public and patients was reflected on by the lead for public involvement in the project, Sarah Peddle, who commented:
“The inclusion of the voice of the public and patients is essential for effective health and care research, and this ‘Nothing about us without us’ ethos is a fundamental aspect of this project. The involvement of the public extends way beyond the one voice I provide, with a group of public advisors providing input through meetings and review of information or outputs throughout. A wider group of public contributors will also join other experts to reach agreement on the content of the guideline.”
The project also involves collaboration with the PRISMA Executive Group, renowned for developing globally used reporting guidelines and advancing qualitative evidence synthesis methods. Key members also include expert methodologists such as Professor Angela Harden of City University of London, Professor James Thomas of UCL, and Professor Andrew Booth of the University of Sheffield.
The project’s full title is ‘PRISMA Reporting Guideline and Standards for Qualitative Evidence Synthesis.’
