Consensus exercise identifying priorities for research in the field of general surgery of childhood in the UK.

BACKGROUND

The evidence base underlying clinical practice in children's general surgery is poor and high-quality collaborative clinical research is required to address current treatment uncertainties. The aim of this study was, through a consensus process, to identify research priorities for clinical research in this field amongst surgeons who treat children.

METHODS

Questions were invited in a scoping survey amongst general surgeons and specialist paediatric surgeons. These were refined by the study team and subsequently prioritized in a two-stage modified Delphi process.

RESULTS

In the scoping survey, a total of 226 questions covering a broad scope of children's elective and emergency general surgery were submitted by 76 different clinicians. These were refined to 71 research questions for prioritization. A total of 168 clinicians took part in stage one of the prioritization process, and 157 in stage two. A 'top 10' list of priority research questions was generated for both elective and emergency general surgery of childhood. These cover a range of conditions and concepts, including inguinal hernia, undescended testis, appendicitis, abdominal trauma and enhanced recovery pathways.

CONCLUSION

Through consensus amongst surgeons who treat children, 10 priority research questions for each of the elective and emergency fields have been identified. These should provide a basis for the development of high-quality multicentre research projects to address these questions, and ultimately improve outcomes for children requiring surgical care.