Top 35 PREDICT research priorities (Questions appearing in bold appear top 10 of the Delphi process)
| Hanlon priority (HPP score) | Research questions | Delphi priority (Delphi score) |
| 1 (164) | In children with severe asthma, does a specific intravenous agent compared with another intravenous agent (or placebo) result in improved outcomes? | 4 (5.26) |
| 2 (149) | In well-looking infants aged 3–6 months with a urinary tract infection, is treatment with intravenous antibiotics compared with oral antibiotics associated with improved clinical outcomes? | 14 (4.9) |
| 3 (148) | In children with severe asthma, does the early use of non-invasive respiratory support compared with standard care shorten the duration of hospitalisation? | 6 (5.18) |
| 4 (147) | What is the sensitivity and specificity of the high-quality paediatric cervical spine clinical decision rules when applied to a single population of consecutive children presenting to the ED with cervical spine injury in Australasia? | 8 (5.11) |
| 5 (144) | Does the use of a preintubation aid or checklist for emergency intubation improve paediatric intubation outcomes? | 10 (5) |
| 5 (144) | In children presenting to the ED with an acute limp, can a combination of clinical features and/or investigations accurately differentiate septic arthritis/osteomyelitis from transient synovitis? | 12 (4.96) |
| 7 (138) | In children presenting to the ED with abdominal pain, can a combination of clinical features and/or investigations accurately predict the need for surgical admission or intervention? | 23 (4.64) |
| 8 (134) | In children presenting to the ED with presumed sepsis, or other need for volume resuscitation, does the use of a balanced isotonic solution compared with normal saline improve outcome? | 20 (4.69) |
| 8 (134) | In children presenting to the ED with presumed sepsis, does low-volume compared with high-volume fluid resuscitation improve outcome? | 2 (5.28) |
| 10 (132) | In children who require emergency intubation, does the use of high flow nasal oxygenation during intubation attempts, compared with standard practice, improve outcome during and postintubation? | 1 (5.37) |
| 11 (130) | In children undergoing sedation in an ED, what is the effectiveness and/or complication rate of various sedation agents commonly used? | 16 (4.86) |
| 12 (129) | In children who present to the ED with sepsis, does the use of a protocol to guide care compared with no protocol to guide care improve outcomes? | 13 (4.94) |
| 13 (128) | In paediatric patients who sustain blunt trauma with haemodynamic instability, does early tranexamic acid 15 mg/kg compared with placebo improve mortality and reduce morbidity? | 9 (5.02) |
| 14 (125) | In children with greenstick fractures or Salter-Harris type 2 fractures of the distal radius or ulna, does the use of wrist splints compared with full POP lead to equivalent clinical outcomes? | 18 (4.83) |
| 15 (123) | In children presenting with traumatic neck pain, does cervical spine CT scan compared with cervical spine plain films diagnose more clinically important cervical spine injuries? | 2 (5.28) |
| 16 (120) | In children presenting to the ED with presumed sepsis, does early compared with late vasopressor therapy improve outcomes? | 5 (5.22) |
| 17 (119) | In children presenting to the ED with suspected intussusception, pneumonia, appendicitis or a painful hip, does the use of bedside ultrasound result in improved clinical outcomes? | 15 (4.89) |
| 18 (117) | In children who require minor fracture manipulation in the ED, is the use of nitrous oxide + intranasal fentanyl as effective as the use of ketamine? | 19 (4.72) |
| 19 (115) | In a well-looking neonate with a normal urine test, lumbar puncture, and CXR, what is the role of intravenous antibiotics compared with no intravenous antibiotics while awaiting cultures? | 17 (4.84) |
| 19 (115) | In infants who present to the ED with bronchiolitis, does the use of nasal bulb suction and/or normal saline drops compared with no suction and/or normal saline drops reduce admission rates? | 32 (3.99) |
| 21 (108) | In unvaccinated children attending the ED, does an ED-based brief intervention increase the uptake of immunisations? | 33 (3.79) |
| 22 (106) | In children who present to the ED with headache thought to be due to migraine, who have failed oral therapy, which intravenous therapy is the most effective treatment for their headache? | 24 (4.57) |
| 23 (103) | In children presenting with suspected neck injury, does the application of a cervical collar compared with no cervical collar change the incidence of cervical spinal cord injury? | 11 (4.99) |
| 24 (97) | In children presenting with a nail bed laceration, does a nail bed repair compared with conservative management change cosmetic outcome? | 21 (4.68) |
| 25 (90) | In children presenting to the ED with suspected non-surgical abdominal pain, which analgesic options are most useful? | 31 (4.01) |
| 26 (88) | Do children who present to a mixed ED compared with a paediatric ED have a difference in clinical outcome? | 27 (4.38) |
| 27 (84) | In children presenting with facial trauma, does CT compared with plain films diagnose more clinically important facial fractures? | 29 (4.33) |
| 27 (84) | Does immediate debriefing of critical events for emergency teams improve outcomes for the staff? | 26 (4.4) |
| 29 (81) | In children with an acute exacerbation of asthma, can demographic or clinical features be used to predict timing of successful discharge? | 33 (3.79) |
| 30 (78) | In medical staff working in a paediatric ED, what are the most effective interventions to reduce cognitive errors (errors in medical reasoning and decision making)? | 6 (5.18) |
| 31 (72) | In children in cardiorespiratory arrest, does the use of a circulation airway breathing approach to initial management, compared with the use of an airway breathing circulation approach to initial management, change outcomes? | 30 (4.09) |
| 32 (61) | In children in cardiorespiratory arrest, does the use of epinephrine compared with no use of epinephrine change outcomes? | 25 (4.43) |
| 32 (61) | In children in ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia, does a specific energy dose or regimen of energy doses for the initial and/or subsequent defibrillation attempt(s), compared with 2–4 J/kg, change outcomes? | 35 (3.58) |
| 34 (53) | In children presenting with facial lacerations, does primary suture closure in the ED compared with primary suture closure in theatre change cosmetic outcome? | 28 (4.36) |
| 35 (47) | What are the drivers for paediatric patients attending an ED rather than primary care? | 21 (4.68) |
HPP, Hanlon Process of Prioritisation; PREDICT, Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative.