Top ten research priorities in global burns care: findings from the James Lind Alliance Global Burns Research Priority Setting Partnership

Abstract

Burns are a global issue that can result in lifelong multimorbidities and disproportionately affect people in low-resource settings. Prioritising research of importance to patients and health-care professionals improves evidence-based care. This prioritisation setting partnership was undertaken in global burn care (focusing on thermal non-electrical burns) by establishing a James Lind Alliance research priority setting partnership. Over 2 years, two online multilingual surveys with patients, carers, and clinicians, 16 interviews, and a virtual priority setting workshop were conducted to identify and prioritise questions for research. Survey responses were received from participants in 88 countries (1617 survey one respondents; 630 survey two respondents). A short-list of 19 research priorities were ranked at an online workshop attended by 28 participants (14 health-care professionals, ten burn survivors, and four carers or advocates) from 15 countries to produce the final top ten research priorities. These priorities provide opportunities for researchers, funders, and clinicians to shape the future of burns research and improve burns care globally. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license