Regional anaesthesia research priorities : a Regional Anaesthesia UK priority setting partnership involving patients, carers and healthcare professionals

Lewis, Owen and Lloyd, James and Ferry, Jenny and Macfarlane, Alan J. R. and Womack, Jonathan and El‐Boghdadly, Kariem and Shelton, Clifford L. and Schaff, Olivia and Quick, Tom J. and Smith, Andrew F. and Cannons, Karin and Pearson, Annabel and Heelas, Leila and Rodger, Daniel and Marshall, John and Pellowe, Carol and Bowness, James S. and Kearns, Rachel J. (2024) Regional anaesthesia research priorities : a Regional Anaesthesia UK  priority setting partnership involving patients, carers and healthcare professionals. Anaesthesia. ISSN 0003-2409

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Abstract

Introduction Regional anaesthesia provides important clinical benefits to patients but is underutilised. A barrier to widespread adoption may be the focus of regional anaesthesia research on novel techniques rather than evaluating and optimising existing approaches. Research priorities in regional anaesthesia identified by anaesthetists have been published, but the views of patients, carers and other healthcare professionals have not been considered previously. Therefore, we launched a multidisciplinary research priority setting partnership that aimed to establish key regional anaesthesia research priorities for the UK. Methods Research suggestions from key stakeholders (defined by their interaction with regional anaesthesia) were gathered using an online survey. These suggestions were analysed to identify common themes and then combined to formulate indicative research questions. After an extensive literature review, unanswered and partially answered questions were prioritised via an interim online survey and then ranked as a top 10 list during a final live virtual multidisciplinary prioritisation workshop. Results In total, 210 individuals completed the initial survey and suggested 518 research questions. Fifty‐seven indicative questions were formed, of which three were considered fully answered after literature review and one not feasible. The interim online survey received 335 responses, which identified the 24 highest priority questions from the 53 presented. At the final live prioritisation workshop, through a nominal group process, we identified the top 10 regional anaesthesia research priorities. These aligned with three broad thematic areas: pain management (two questions); patient safety (six questions); and recovery from surgery (two questions). Discussion This initiative has resulted in a list of research questions prioritised by patients, carers and a multidisciplinary group of healthcare professionals that should be used to inform and support future regional anaesthesia research in the UK.