Supporting the 2025 Stillbirth Priority Setting Partnership – evidence gathering and review project
The Role of Library and Knowledge Services at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
This article includes discussions of sensitive topics which may be upsetting for some colleagues to read.
Introduction
In 2025, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust Library and Knowledge Services played a central role in supporting the Stillbirth Priority Setting Partnership (PSP), facilitated through the James Lind Alliance (JLA). This project represented a refresh of the original stillbirth research priorities published a decade earlier and required the partnership to repeat the full priority‑setting process from the beginning [1,2]. The work highlighted the essential contribution of library and knowledge professionals in verifying research uncertainties, supporting evidence‑based decision‑making, and enabling meaningful collaboration between clinicians, researchers, and patient representatives. The original work was published in Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology [2].
Background: The James Lind Alliance
The James Lind Alliance is named after James Lind, a British naval officer who, in 1747, conducted one of the earliest recorded clinical trials [3]. The Alliance was established to address a persistent imbalance in health research agendas by ensuring that research priorities reflect the questions most important to patients, carers, and clinicians. Working in partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the JLA supports the development of Priority Setting Partnerships, which aim to identify unanswered questions in specific areas of health and care and agree a shared Top 10 list of research priorities [4].
Priority Setting Partnerships and the Stillbirth PSP
Priority Setting Partnerships bring together diverse stakeholders, including people with lived experience, healthcare professionals, and researchers, to identify and prioritise unanswered questions about treatment, care, and outcomes. Each partnership follows a structured and transparent methodology, culminating in consensus on the most important research uncertainties.
The 2025 Stillbirth PSP represented a full refresh of the priorities published ten years earlier. Rather than updating the existing list, the partnership undertook the entire process again from scratch. This approach ensured that emerging evidence, changes in clinical practice, and evolving patient and carer perspectives were fully reflected in the final priorities.
Library Strategy and Evidence Verification
A core stage of the PSP process is the verification of research uncertainties. For the Stillbirth PSP, the steering group passed 86 research questions to the Library and Knowledge Services team to determine whether these questions had already been answered by existing high‑quality evidence.
Two members of the library team, Elly Aalai and Sarah Bowman‑Worrall, led this work, undertaking an intensive programme of literature searching. In total, 430 literature searches were conducted across a range of bibliographic databases to identify level 1 evidence, including systematic reviews, meta‑analyses, Cochrane Reviews, and published clinical guidelines. The aim was to establish whether each submitted question remained a genuine uncertainty or had already been adequately addressed in the research literature.
The findings from these searches were systematically documented and shared with the steering group using a Microsoft Teams channel, enabling transparent discussion and efficient collaboration throughout the process. Example questions examined during this phase included:
- What impact does maternal age have on stillbirth and perinatal death rates?
- What role do blood disorders, before and during pregnancy, play in stillbirth and perinatal death?
Results of the Evidence Review
The verification process demonstrated the extent to which significant gaps remain in the evidence base for stillbirth. For many of the questions submitted, no relevant systematic reviews, meta‑analyses, Cochrane Reviews, or published guidelines were identified that fully addressed the uncertainty. This finding reinforced the importance of the PSP in directing future research efforts.
In total, over 800 individual papers were retrieved to support the review process. These were sourced by Becky Walsh , Jess Stannage, and Gemma Walker using a combination of online journal subscriptions, IncDocs, and ReprintsDesk. All retrieved papers were screened for relevance before being uploaded to the dedicated Teams channel, ensuring that the steering group had access to curated and high‑quality evidence.
Once verification was complete, the confirmed uncertainties were taken forward to a final prioritisation workshop, where stakeholders worked collaboratively to agree the final Top 10 research priorities for stillbirth.
Benefits and Impact
The Stillbirth PSP delivered a range of benefits for both the organisation and the library service. The project provided a meaningful and engaging opportunity for a summer work experience team member, offering exposure to real‑world evidence synthesis and research support activity. The team also explored the use of Microsoft Copilot, demonstrating that level 1 evidence could be identified with as few as four targeted prompts, often within minutes. This highlighted the potential for emerging technologies to complement, though not replace, professional literature searching expertise.
Library representation at a strategic level was also strengthened, with Elly Aalai and Steve Glover serving as members of the PSP Steering Group. This ensured that the contribution of knowledge services was embedded throughout the decision‑making process. The library received £6,000 in funding to support the verification of uncertainties, recognising the time, expertise, and resources required to deliver this work effectively. The income received will be reinvested for the direct benefit of staff working across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, through the acquisition of e‑books from Brown’s Books (VLe) in key clinical specialities including obstetrics, gynaecology, midwifery, neonatology, and women’s health.
Importantly, the project also delivered professional recognition. Members of the library team will receive authorship and acknowledgements in outputs arising from the PSP, reinforcing the visibility and value of library and knowledge services within multidisciplinary research activity.
Conclusion
The 2025 Stillbirth Priority Setting Partnership demonstrates the critical role of library and knowledge professionals in supporting high‑quality, patient‑centred research prioritisation. Through rigorous evidence searching, effective collaboration, and strategic engagement, the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust Library team ensured that research uncertainties were accurately verified and transparently communicated. The project not only contributed to shaping the future stillbirth research agenda but also showcased the evolving role of libraries as active partners in research, innovation, and clinical improvement.
The final workshop has now been held, and the JLA have updated the research priorities for Stillbirth going forward [5].
References
- JLA Stillbirth Priority Setting Partnership (2015). https://www.jla.nihr.ac.uk/priority-setting-partnerships/stillbirth
- Heazell, A Whitworth, M, Whitcombe J, Glover, SW. Research priorities for stillbirth: process overview and results from UK Stillbirth Priority Setting Partnership. Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology ( 2015) 46(3) pp641-647. https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/uog.15738
- James Lind – Wikipedia [accessed 19 Feb 2026] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lind
- James Lind Alliance [accessed 19 Feb 2026] https://www.jla.nihr.ac.uk/
- Stillbirth Refresh Top 12 [accessed 19 Feb 2026] https://www.jla.nihr.ac.uk/priority-setting-partnerships/stillbirth-refresh#tab-top-12-priorities
Elly Aalai, Steve Glover, Sarah Bowman-Worrall, Jess Stannage, Becky Walsh, and Gemma Walker Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
