OBJECTIVES : A priority-setting exercise was performed integrating the values of key stakeholders with scientific evidence to guide health research resource allocation and policy-making across NCDs.

METHODS : The priority-setting framework was developed through an online Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) survey administered using the 1000minds software to elicit key stakeholders’ preferences relating to NCDs in terms of their priority for health research funding in New Zealand. To support the robustness of the results, a sub-sample of 40 completed the survey twice, two weeks apart, to assess the survey’s test-retest reliability. In addition, cluster analysis was used to identify participants with similar patterns of preferences and the possible correlations between participants’ preferences and their background characteristics.

RESULTS : The results revealed that mental, neurological and musculoskeletal diseases are listed in the first tiers of the priority list, indicating that New Zealand, like many other countries, is undergoing a disability transition. This suggests that the proportion of the population who are experiencing nonfatal health loss is growing substantially. In addition, the top ranked NCDs are mainly associated with high health care costs showing a correlation between morbidity and high health care costs that has also been found in other studies. Therefore, it is important to consider the multidimensional nature – e.g. fatal, nonfatal aspects and health care costs – of NCDs when preparing a priority list of them. The results of test-retest reliability showed that the priority-setting framework could produce reliable results over time. Moreover, the results of cluster analysis revealed that participants’ preferences are associated more with their idiosyncratic personal preferences than their demographic characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS : Ideally, the proposed prioritisation exercise will help policy-makers and researchers to implement systematic health research prioritisation frameworks, and effectively allocate health research spending across NCDs. The methodology and the priority-setting framework used in this study could be implemented elsewhere too.