title: National priorities for perioperative research in South Africa.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Groote Schuur Hospital and Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Perioperative Research Group, Discipline of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, School of Clinical Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. biccardb@ukzn.ac.za.
authors.forename: Bruce M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Biccard
authors.forename: Christella S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Alphonsus
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.forename: Larissa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cronje
authors.forename: Hyla-Louise
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Kluyts
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kusel
authors.forename: Salome
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maswime
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oodit
authors.forename: Anthony R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Alexandra M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Torborg
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wise