BMJ Collection highlights research priorities for future health shocks

Leading researchers and clinicians address urgent research themes to mitigate the impact of future health crises.

7 October 2024: London, UK—Today, The BMJ published an important collection of scholarly work: Research Priorities for Future Shocks: bmj.com/collections/future-shocks. This set of peer reviewed analysis articles and opinion pieces address post-covid priorities for the research community, to help the UK better prepare for and mitigate the impact of future health crises.

We don’t know when, but the next health shock–a sudden and extreme change that impacts on a health system—is coming. Such shocks are not limited to respiratory infections like covid-19 but may also relate to conflict, climate change, financial crises, or natural disasters. 

The collection has two main themes: research priorities to develop UK resilience to health shocks in the future, and research priorities to mitigate the longer-term impact of covid-19. It considers various topics, including non-pharmaceutical interventions, antimicrobial resistance, multidisciplinary working, non-communicable diseases, child mental health, social care, foresight approaches, workforce, public trust, and equity.

Featuring contributions from leading experts, the collection considers where research is most urgently needed to inform government policies and clinical guidelines. Notable articles include:

  • Foresight Approaches for Future Health Shocks: Integration into Policy Making and Accompanying Research Priorities by Christina Pagel and colleagues [or et al]: This article emphasises the importance of integrating foresight methods into health policy, advocating for a forward-thinking framework to prepare us for unforeseen challenges.
  • Protecting Healthcare and Patient Pathways from Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance by Derek Cocker and colleagues focuses on safeguarding health services with strategies to mitigate the risks of novel infections and antibiotic resistant pathogens.
  • Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions: Evaluating Challenges and Priorities for Future Health Shocks by Azeem Majeed and colleagues calls for robust evaluation mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of interventions such as lockdowns and mask wearing to provide policymakers with timely evidence.
  • Working Across Multiple Disciplines in Research to Respond to Shocks by Amitava Banerjee and colleagues advocates for more collaborative approaches to research, recognising that diverse perspectives are essential in addressing complex health challenges.
  • Building Public Trust as Preparedness for Future Health Shocks: A Research Agenda by Heidi Larson and colleagues highlights the critical role of trust for health interventions to be effective and proposes research priorities to enhance public confidence during crises.
  • Workforce Research Priorities for Resilience to Future Health Shocks—and the Workforce Crisis by Kieran Walshe and colleagues addresses the urgent need for research on workforce resilience, emphasising the importance of the health and social care workforce to mitigate the impact of health shocks.
  • Non-Communicable Diseases: Research Priorities to Mitigate Impact of Health System Shocks by Ami Banerjee and colleagues considers the complex associations among NCDs and health shocks, calling for strategic planning to minimise harm related to NCDs during and after health emergencies.
  • Neither Seen nor Heard: The Evidence Gap on the Effect of COVID-19 on Mental Health in Children by Tamsin Ford and colleagues advocates for focused efforts to understand and address the mental health challenges facing children post-pandemic.
  • Adelina Comason Social Care and Ebere Okerekeon Equity: These short opinion pieces offer pertinent insights into the importance of inclusive policies that promote health equity and the need to strengthen social care systems, essential to minimise harms from the next health shock.

This collection is a vital resource for policymakers, health professionals, and researchers, identifying priorities for the UK research community that can foster informed policy making to enhance health system and public health resilience. It will be invaluable to government, healthcare and public health leaders, researchers, and research funders, in the UK and internationally.

This collection is a vital resource for policymakers, health professionals, and researchers. It identifies priorities for the UK research community that can foster informed policy making to enhance the health system and public health resilience. It will be invaluable to government, healthcare, and public health leaders, researchers, and research funders in the UK and internationally.

Richard Hurley, Collections Editor at The BMJ, said, “We know the next health shock is coming. Focused research is crucial to ensure resilient health systems and to minimise the impact on healthcare, impact on health outcomes, and deaths. This collection moves debates on research priorities forward, promoting equitable, patient and public coproduced, interdisciplinary, and international collaboration. This research is essential to  building robust health and care systems ready to tackle future health shocks head-on.”

For more information and to access the collection upon publication, please visit bmj.com/collections/future-shocks

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Contact: To request an interview with The BMJ’s Richard Hurley or any of the authors involved in this collection, or to find out more about our partnerships, please contact Morgan Kindberg, Senior Programme and Partnership Manager, BMJ Group, mkindberg@bmj.com

Notes for editors

About this collection

The BMJ developed the Research Priorities for Future Shock collection in partnership with the Health Foundation. It was funded by The Health Foundation, including open access fees. The BMJ commissioned, peer reviewed, edited, and chose which articles to feature in the collection. The lead editor was Richard Hurley.

About The BMJ Collections

The BMJ Collections are sets of themed articles focusing on key priorities, neglected issues, or needed global health and medicine debates. They are often created in collaboration between The BMJ and other international organisations to contribute to contemporary conversations in global health, generate visibility for shared priorities and proposed solutions, and influence policy and decision makers in health to create impact. https://bmj.com/collections

About the Health Foundation

The Health Foundation is an independent charitable organisation working to build a healthier UK. Everyone has a stake and a part to play in improving our health. By working together, we can build a healthier society. https://www.health.org.uk/