In the Paediatric Workstream of the Methodology Incubator, we seek to substantially advance research capacity and capability across child health.

For 2023-25, our attention is in areas currently lacking research due to being deemed as too methodologically challenging (e.g. community-based health, social care, complex interventions) and in new interdisciplinary areas that are central for addressing big future health challenges (e.g. paediatric MedTech, mental health, and prevention of multiple long-term conditions).

Our work to date

In 2023-24, we undertook a national prioritisation project, CHISEL (Child Health Trials Methodology Prioritisation), to identify and agree Top10 key methodological challenges to child health trials in the UK. The project involved over 200 participants (children, young people, parents, child health experts, and methodologists). The resulting, agreed Top10 were launched 1st October 2024 at the International Clinical Trials Methodology Conference.

The final Top10 are below. These include two items, in bold (items 6 and 8), that were particularly highlighted as important items by children and/or young people.

1. What is the best way to design implementable child health trials with a good fit and potential to translate to real improvements to practice?
2. How can children and young people be meaningfully involved at all stages of the research process including trial design, delivery, management and dissemination?
3. How can meaningful outcomes for child health trials be effectively selected, and what measurement timepoints should be used?
4. What is the best way to broaden inclusion of children and families from different backgrounds, contexts, and of different ages (especially younger children under 5 years old) in trials?
5. How can enrolment in trials be normalised in hospital and community settings – for children, young people and professionals?
6. How can trials be made positive and fun for children and young people and how can these aspects be best communicated?
7. How can a culture of research and research involvement be embedded in settings where children spend their time; and how can children play a part in this?
8. How can concerns related to emotional, social and physical safety in trials with children and young people be thought about, managed, mitigated, quantified and communicated?
9. Whose costs and outcomes are important (parent, child, NHS and other perspectives) for economic evaluations in trials with children and young people; how transferable or comparable are these costs and outcomes across transitions and life stages; and how applicable are the current tools for economic evaluation within trials for children and young people?
10. What is the best way to gain trust from parents, children, and young people taking part in trials?

The publication reporting the full project details and results will be submitted for a peer review imminently, and all cleaned data from the project will be made openly available as soon as possible.

Next steps

These agreed Top10 provide a collective view on key issues that need to be addressed in order to increase the number and quality of trials for children and young people. These Top10 now provide a shared framework for future research, and for advancing capacity and capability, in child health research methods.

If you would like to lead research, or to collaborate, on any of these items, please do get in touch! We are keen to promote and support individuals and teams undertaking work (e.g. through fellowships, grants, SWATs, etc) to address these priorities.

Contact:

Niina Kolehmainen