BACKGROUND/AIMS:
In Australia, substantial unmet clinical and research needs remain across both the acute and recovery stages of stroke care. SEAMLESS is an adaptive pipeline-platform trial designed to address these gaps by enabling efficient evaluation of interventions across the acute‑recovery continuum.
International stroke research prioritisation exercises demonstrate that research needs are dynamic, context‑specific, and shaped by local healthcare systems and stakeholder perspectives. Most existing prioritisation studies have been conducted outside Australia and show variable stakeholder representation and methodological rigour. While Australian guidelines and clinical practice frequently identify evidence gaps, no previous study has systematically identified priorities specifically for clinical trials, including platform designs, across the acute‑recovery continuum.
The SEAMLESS‑APPT prioritisation survey addresses this gap by capturing clinician‑identified research priorities to inform future domains within SEAMLESS‑APPT that will be examined in partnership with people living with stroke.
METHODS:
Clinician perspectives will be captured using a national online survey targeting a multidisciplinary stroke workforce, including medical, nursing, and allied health clinicians across acute and recovery settings. Respondents will rank areas for importance and feasibility to address within an adaptive pipeline-platform trial. Individual participant rank-ordered lists will be analysed using a robust graph theory-based voting system to aggregate into respective group lists.
RESULTS:
Available for presentation at the ANZSOC, August 2026.
CONCLUSIONS:
This prioritisation will inform a more strategic national stroke research agenda, aligning future trials with clinical need and practitioner insight, to ultimately improve care and long‑term outcomes for people living with stroke in Australia.