Establishing the research priorities for major trauma in the United Kingdom: A Delphi study of nurses and allied health professionals

Abstract

BackgroundResearch prioritisation exercises are used to determine which areas of research are important. In major trauma care, nurses and allied health professionals are central to the delivery of evidence-based care but their opinions on research priorities are under-represented in the literature.We aimed to identify the research priorities of major trauma nurses and allied health professionals in the UK. MethodsA three-round electronic Delphi study was conducted in the UK between November 2019 and May 2021. Round one aimed to generate research questions with rounds two and three questions in order of priority. In stages two and three responses were analysed using descriptive statistics to compute frequencies and proportions for the ranking of each question. ResultsSurvey rounds were completed by 180, 100 and 91 respondents respectively.The first round generated 285 statements that were condensed into 71 research questions. Analysis of rankings in subsequent rounds prioritised 54 research questions across themes of adult / children’s acute care, psychological care and workforce, training and education. DiscussionNurses and AHPs are well-positioned to determine research priorities in major trauma care. Focusing on these priorities will guide future research and help to build an evidence-base in trauma care.