Biccard, Bruce McIureAlphonsus, C.S.Bishop, D.G.Cronje, L.Kluyts, Hyla-LouiseKusel, B.Maswime, SalomeOodit, R.Reed, A.R.Torborg, A.M.Wise, R.2016-06-032016-06-032016-05Biccard, B.M. Alphonsus, C.S. Bishop, DG, Cronje, L, Kluyts, HL, Kusel, B, Maswime, S, Oodit, R, Reed, AR, Torborg, AM & Wise, R 2016, 'National priorities for perioperative research in South Africa', South African Medical Journal', vol. 106, no. 5, pp. 485-488.0256-9574 (print)2078-5135 (online)10.7196/SAMJ.2016.v106i5.10269http://hdl.handle.net/2263/52865BACKGROUND. 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 steppedwedge 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 perioperativeoutcomes 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.en© 2016 Health & Medical Publishing Group. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Works License (CC BY-NC 3.0).Perioperative researchDelphi techniquePrioritiesSouth Africa (SA)Health sciences articles SDG-03SDG-03: Good health and well-beingArticle