Abstract Background Timely and effective pre-hospital management of penetrating neck injuries (PNI) is critical to improve patient outcomes.Pre-hospital interventions in patients with PNI can be especially challenging due to the anatomical injury site coupled with a resource-limited environment.Nationally, in the United Kingdom, no consensus statement or expert agreed guidance exists on how to naturopathica enzyme peel best manage PNI in the pre-hospital setting.
Method We conducted a national modified e-Delphi study with subject matter experts (SMEs) from multiple professional specialities with experience in the management of PNI.Pre-identified SMEs were contacted and consented prior to participation allowing for a remotely conducted Delphi using REDCap and Microsoft Teams.In Round 1, statements drawn from the literature base were distributed to all SMEs.
Round 2 comprised a facilitated and structured discussion of the statements and then an online survey provided final ratification in Round 3.Of the participating SMEs consensus was set a priori at 70%.Results Of the 67 pre-identified SMEs, 28 participated, resulting in a response rate of 42%.
From the first two rounds, 19 statements were derived with every statement achieving consensus in Round 3.Subsequently, an algorithm for the pre-hospital management of PNI was developed and agreed goblin toe d2r with SME consensus.Conclusion Curation of national consensus statements from SMEs aims to provide principles and guidance for PNI management in a complicated patient group where pre-hospital evidence is lacking.
Multi-professional national consensus on the best approach to manage these injuries alongside a novel PNI management algorithm aims to optimise time critical care and by extension improve patient outcomes.