Abstract

BICCARD, B M et al. National priorities for perioperative research in South Africa. SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. [online]. 2016, vol.106, n.5, pp.485-488. ISSN 2078-5135.  http://dx.doi.org/10.7196/samj.2016.v106i5.10269.

BACKGROUND. Perioperative research is currently unco-ordinated in South Africa (SA), with no clear research agenda. OBJECTIVE. To determine the top ten national research priorities for perioperative research in SA. METHODS. A Delphi technique was used to establish consensus on the top ten research priorities. RESULTS. The top ten research priorities were as follows: (i) establishment of a national database of (a) critical care outcomes, and (b) critical care resources; (ii) a randomised controlled trial of preoperative B-type natriuretic peptide-guided medical therapy to decrease major adverse cardiac events following non-cardiac surgery; (iii) a national prospective observational study of the outcomes associated with paediatric surgical cases; (iv) a national observational study of maternal and fetal outcomes following operative delivery in SA; (v) a stepped-wedge trial of an enhanced recovery after surgery programme for (a) surgery, (b) obstetrics, (c) emergency surgery, and (d) trauma surgery; (vi) a stepped-wedge trial of a surgical safety checklist on patient outcomes in SA; (vii) a prospective observational study of perioperative outcomes after surgery in district general hospitals in SA; (viii) short-course interventions to improve anaesthetic skills in rural doctors; (ix) studies of the efficacy of simulation training to improve (a) patient outcomes, (b) team dynamics, and (c) leadership; and (x) development and validation of a risk stratification tool for SA surgery based on the South African Surgical Outcomes Study (SASOS) data. CONCLUSIONS. These research priorities provide the structure for an intermediate-term research agenda.

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