Identifying the priority challenges in trauma care delivery for Australian and New Zealand trauma clinicians

Introduction: Injury is a leading cause of death and disability world-wide. Little is known about the day-to-day challenges the trauma clinicians face in their practice that they feel could be improved through an increased evidence base. This study explored and ranked the trauma clinical practice research priorities of trauma care professionals across Australia and New Zealand. Methods: A modified-Delphi study was conducted between September 2019 and January 2020. The study employed two rounds of online survey of trauma professionals from relevant Australia and New Zealand professional organisations using snowballing method. Participants were asked to rank the importance of 29 recommendations, each corresponding to a key challenge in trauma care delivery. Decisions on the priorities of the challenges were determined by a consensus of >70% of respondents ranking the challenge as important or very important. Results: One hundred and fifty-five participants completed Round One, and 106 participants completed Round Two. A total of 15 recommendations reached >70% in Round One. Nine recommendations also reached >70% consensus in Round Two. Recommendations ranked highest were ‘Caring for elderly trauma patients’, ‘Identifying and validating key performance indicators for trauma system benchmarking and improvement’, and ‘Management of traumatic brain injury’. Conclusion: This study identified the priority areas for trauma research as determined by clinician ranking of the most important for informing and improving their practice. Addressing these areas generates potential to improve the quality and safety of trauma care in Australian and New Zealand.