Developing Consensus on Priority Pediatric Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Conditions and Procedures.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop an international expert consensus on priority pediatric otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) conditions and procedures for which all national health systems globally should be capable of managing.

Study Design: The Delphi method is a multiround online questionnaire and was administered internationally to otolaryngologists with a focus on pediatric populations. This study was administered in parallel to a Delphi survey focusing on adult OHNS conditions amongst adult otolaryngology experts.

Setting: International online survey.

Methods: In round 1, participants listed the top 15 pediatric otolaryngological conditions and top 15 pediatric otolaryngology procedures for their World Bank region. In round 2, participants ranked round 1 responses in order of global importance on a 5-point Likert scale. In round 3, participants reranked conditions and procedures that did not achieve consensus, defined as at least 70% of the round 2 Likert responses being ranked as either "important" or "very important." Descriptive statistics were calculated for each round.

Results: The survey was distributed to 35 experts globally, with a 40% (n = 14) response rate. Fifty percent (n = 7) of participants were from low- and middle-income countries, with at least 1 participant from each World Bank region. A list of 28 consensus surgical procedures and 11 consensus conditions were identified.

Conclusion: This Delphi survey method of world experts in pediatric otolaryngology identified a core list of medical conditions and surgical procedures that should be a part of every national health system's clinical goals of treatment, research, and capacity building.