The National Cardiac Center (NCC) organized a one-day Research-to-Action Priority Setting Workshop on 19 March 2022, bringing together major national stakeholders working in the field of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The workshop aimed to identify nationally relevant research priorities that directly inform policy development, clinical practice, and health system strengthening.
The workshop adopted the Essential National Health Research (ENHR) modified module developed by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH). This structured methodology incorporates four core elements—relevance to national health needs, feasibility, potential impact, and equity considerations—to systematically identify and rank priority research areas.
The program commenced with orientation and training sessions on the application of the module, followed by focused small-group exercises. Six thematic working groups were formed to cover the major CVD domains: Clinical Cardiology, Non-Invasive Imaging, Preventive (Tropical) Cardiology, Electrophysiology, Pediatric Cardiology, and Cardiac Surgery.
Key Outcomes
A total of 37 participants representing academic institutions, specialized cardiac centers, and key health sector stakeholders attended the workshop. The six working groups collectively identified 27 priority research topics, which were ranked according to agreed prioritization criteria.
The most prominent recommendations included:
Establishing nationwide registries for prevalent cardiovascular diseases and outcomes of hospital-based cardiac procedures.
Implementing national surveillance systems to assess and monitor available resources for cardiovascular disease prevention, diagnosis, and management across the country.
Evaluation results showed strong endorsement of the adopted approach, with 99% of participants agreeing with the research prioritization methodology. However, more than half of the participants indicated that the one-day duration was insufficient for in-depth discussion and refinement of priorities.
Conclusion and Way Forward
The workshop represented a significant advancement in cardiovascular research planning by introducing a formal, standardized, and transparent priority-setting process. Participants emphasized the importance of strengthening health system data integration and recommended targeted investment in research capacity building, particularly to support early-career cardiologists and the next generation of cardiovascular researchers.
The National Cardiac Center (NCC) reaffirmed its commitment to translating these research priorities into actionable national research agendas that support evidence-based decision-making and improved cardiovascular health outcomes.