Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Publication Date
12-1-2024
Journal
Hernia
Abstract
Purpose: Numerous clinical practice guidelines and consensus statements have been published in hernia surgery, however, there is still a need for high-quality evidence to address remaining unanswered questions. The aim of this study was to conduct research priority setting through a modified Delphi process to identify a list of top research priorities in hernia surgery.
Methods: A structured literature review of clinical practice guidelines was performed by the steering committee. Topics considered clinically significant, practical to study and lacking strong evidence were extracted and refined into a comprehensive list, then entered into a two-round Delphi survey for prioritization at the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative (ACHQC) Quality Improvement Summit. In round 1, participants were instructed to select any topic that should be prioritized for future research. Topics were ranked according to the proportion of votes and the 25 highest-ranking topics were included in the second round. In round 2, participants were instructed to select only the top 10 topics for research prioritization.
Results: Eleven clinical practice guidelines were reviewed. Eighty-seven topics were extracted by the steering committee and submitted for prioritization. After the first round, 25 of the highest-ranking topics were determined and included in the second round. A final list of 11 research questions was identified. The hernia types with the most research interest were inguinal and epigastric/umbilical hernias. Other topics of high interest were the management of diastasis recti, primary versus mesh repairs and expectant management versus surgical repair.
Conclusion: Our study provides a research agenda generated through expert consensus that may be used in the prioritization of the design and funding of clinical trials in hernia surgery.
Keywords
Humans, Delphi Technique, Herniorrhaphy, Consensus, Biomedical Research, Practice Guidelines as Topic, Research, Research priorities, Hernia surgery, Delphi process
DOI
10.1007/s10029-024-03139-0
PMID
39190257
PMCID
PMC11530562
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
8-27-2024
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
yes