Print This Post
Researchers at the University of Leicester are looking for participants to take part in Round 2 of a Delphi study on the methodological challenges of running clinical trials for people with multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs).
The study is led by Professor Laura Gray, Professor of Medical Statistics in the Department of Public Health and Epidemiology at the University of Leicester, and funded by the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit programme.
Trials for people with MLTCs are difficult to design well. Patient populations are heterogeneous, the choice of which conditions to include varies between studies, and the design, conduct and analysis all carry methodological compromises. The result is a thin evidence base for interventions that could genuinely help this group. This study aims to identify and rank the methodological questions that most need answering, so future trials can be built on firmer ground.
It is a four-round modified Delphi, bringing together methodologists, trialists, MLTC researchers, funders, commissioners, regulators, and people with lived experience of MLTCs or who care for someone with them. You do not need to have taken part in Round 1 to join now, and no preparation is required.
What Round 2 involves
Participants are shown a list of research uncertainties generated in Round 1 and asked to rate the importance of each on a 9-point Likert scale. It is completed online and takes up to 20 minutes. Responses are confidential, participation is voluntary, and contributions can be acknowledged in resulting publications with your permission.
Key dates and links
The survey closes on 28 June 2026.
To read more before signing up, the team have shared the Participant Information Sheet, privacy notice, and a summary of existing MLTC trials.
Take part in Round 2: redcap.link/MLTC_Trials_Round_2
For questions, contact lead researcher Ayat Ahmadi at aa1605@leicester.ac.uk.
