Stakeholder Engagement in Planning the Design of a National Needs Assessment for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Management in Nepal

Background: There is growing support for stakeholder engagement in health research, but the actual impact of such engagement has not been well established. Objectives: This paper describes the stakeholder engagement process and evaluation during the planning of the national needs assessment for cardiovascular disease in Nepal. Methods: We used personal and professional networks to identify relevant stakeholders within the 7Ps framework (Patients and the Public, Providers, Purchasers, Payers, Public Policy Makers and Policy Advocates, Product Makers and the Principal Investigators) to develop a plan for assessing cardiovascular health needs in Nepal. We consulted 40 stakeholders through 2 meetings in small groups and a workshop in a large group to develop the study methods, conceptual framework, and stakeholder engagement process. We interviewed 33 stakeholders to receive feedback on the stakeholder engagement process. Results: We engaged 80% of the targeted stakeholders through small group discussions and a workshop. Three of 5 recommendations from the small group discussion were aimed at improving the stakeholder engagement process and 2 were aimed to improve the research methods. Eleven of 27 recommendations from the workshop aimed to improve the research methods, 4 aimed to improve stakeholder engagement, and 2 helped to expand the scope of dissemination. Ten were irrelevant or could not be incorporated due to resource limitation. Most stakeholders noted that the workshop provided an open platform for a multisectoral group to colearn from one another and share ideas. Others highlighted that the discussion generated insights to enhance research by incorporating expertise and ideas from different perspectives. The major challenges discussed were about committing the time for engagement. Conclusions: The stakeholder engagement process positively affected the design of our research. This study provides important insights for future researchers that aim to engage stakeholders in national-level assessment programs in the health care system in the context of Nepal.