National priority setting partnership using a Delphi consensus process to develop neonatal research questions...

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Medicine
• Clinical Trials
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Neonatal care lacks a strong evidence base, necessitating robust clinical trials.
• Historically, research topic selection lacked broad stakeholder input, leading to broad themes rather than specific trialable questions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and prioritize research questions for UK neonatal interventional trials.
• To involve stakeholders, including parents, healthcare professionals, and researchers, in the prioritization process.

Main Methods:

• Research questions were collected via an online platform from stakeholders.
• A three-round online Delphi survey was used for prioritization by all stakeholder groups.
• Questions were reviewed by a steering group to remove duplicates and already answered queries.

Main Results:

• 186 research questions were entered into the Delphi survey after initial review.
• Top-ranked questions included breast milk fortification, intact cord resuscitation, necrotising enterocolitis surgical timing, therapeutic hypothermia, and non-invasive respiratory support.
• 106 participants completed all three rounds of the Delphi survey.

Conclusions:

• Identified and prioritized practice-changing research questions for UK neonatal medicine.
• Prioritized questions address critical uncertainties in neonatal care.
• Focusing on these questions can reduce research waste and enhance neonatal outcomes.