Top ten research priorities for Essential Emergency and Critical Care: A modified Delphi process

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Emergency Medicine
• Health Systems Strengthening

Background:

• Millions die annually from critical illness, often due to preventable causes.
• Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC) offers a pragmatic approach to address basic life-saving care gaps.
• There is a need for structured research to guide EECC development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the top ten research priorities for Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC) over the next five years.
• To guide the strategic development and implementation of EECC globally.
• To foster collaborative research for improved critical care outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A global EECC Research Conference convened 46 experts from nine countries.
• A structured priority-setting process involved four thematic groups: current state, implementation, impact, and refinement.
• Research questions were generated, ranked via anonymous survey, and the top ten selected.

Main Results:

• 28 research questions were developed across four themes.
• The top ten priorities included four on EECC implementation and four on its current state.
• Key priorities focus on estimating critical illness burden and effective program implementation.

Conclusions:

• Collaborative research on the identified priorities is crucial for advancing EECC.
• Strengthening health systems through EECC research can improve outcomes for critically ill patients worldwide.
• Further research is needed to refine EECC strategies and ensure global impact.