Table 3: Criteria for prioritizing IR questions

Criteria	Considerations
Relevance	How large or widespread is the problem? Who is affected by the problem? How severe is the problem? If the problem is not addressed, is there a potential for it to spread? Who considers this a problem? Is this problem a burden to the health system? How severe is the burden? What is the economic impact of this problem on the population?
Avoidance of duplication	Has this question or problem been researched before? Are there any interventions that could effectively addressed this problem? If yes, are there any major questions that deserve further research? Is the context so different that I cannot use the results of previous intervention research?
Urgency of need	How urgently do policy-makers, implementers and health care providers need results? Will timeliness impact changing course, taking on new interventions or stopping what they are doing?
Political acceptability	Is the implementation research problem of high interest and does it have the support of local or national authorities? Would the study results generate sufficient political support that will more likely lead to their implementation? Does the implementation problem have political acceptance that can engender the involvement of the policy-makers in the study?
Feasibility	How complex is the research? Are there adequate resources to carry out the study? Is it possible to conduct and report the findings in 12 to 36 months?
Applicability of results or recommendations	What is the likelihood that recommendations will be adopted? How will the findings be used to improve health and health care? Are there available resources for implementing the recommendations?
Ethical acceptability	How acceptable is the research to those who will be studied? Does the target group share the implementation problem? Can informed consent be obtained from the research subjects? Will the condition of the subjects be taken into account? Will the results be shared with those who are being studied?