• Owen Lewis, James Lloyd, Jenny Ferry, MacfarlaneAlan J RAJR0000-0003-3858-6468Department of Anaesthesia, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow, UK.School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK., Jonathan Womack, Kariem El-Boghdadly, Clifford L Shelton, Olivia Schaff, Tom J Quick, Andrew F Smith, Karin Cannons, Annabel Pearson, Leila Heelas, Daniel Rodger, John Marshall, Carol Pellowe, James S Bowness, and Rachel J Kearns.
• Department of Anaesthesia, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, Newport, UK.
• Anaesthesia. 2025 Feb 1; 80 (2): 170178170-178.

IntroductionRegional anaesthesia provides important clinical benefits to patients but is underutilised. A barrier to widespread adoption may be the focus of regional anaesthesia research on novel techniques rather than evaluating and optimising existing approaches. Research priorities in regional anaesthesia identified by anaesthetists have been published, but the views of patients, carers and other healthcare professionals have not been considered previously. Therefore, we launched a multidisciplinary research priority setting partnership that aimed to establish key regional anaesthesia research priorities for the UK.MethodsResearch suggestions from key stakeholders (defined by their interaction with regional anaesthesia) were gathered using an online survey. These suggestions were analysed to identify common themes and then combined to formulate indicative research questions. After an extensive literature review, unanswered and partially answered questions were prioritised via an interim online survey and then ranked as a top 10 list during a final live virtual multidisciplinary prioritisation workshop.ResultsIn total, 210 individuals completed the initial survey and suggested 518 research questions. Fifty-seven indicative questions were formed, of which three were considered fully answered after literature review and one not feasible. The interim online survey received 335 responses, which identified the 24 highest priority questions from the 53 presented. At the final live prioritisation workshop, through a nominal group process, we identified the top 10 regional anaesthesia research priorities. These aligned with three broad thematic areas: pain management (two questions); patient safety (six questions); and recovery from surgery (two questions).DiscussionThis initiative has resulted in a list of research questions prioritised by patients, carers and a multidisciplinary group of healthcare professionals that should be used to inform and support future regional anaesthesia research in the UK.© 2024 Association of Anaesthetists.

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