Consensus

Mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MI-E) is an established airway clearance technique for patients with chronic conditions like neuromuscular diseases. However, its use in critically ill ICU patients remains inconsistent and lacks standardized guidelines. Despite growing research, current practices vary widely in patient selection, treatment protocols, and safety management, with limited high-quality evidence to support clear recommendations. To address this gap, an international, multidisciplinary Delphi consensus study is needed to establish expert-based best practices and feasible guidelines for the safe and effective implementation of MI-E in the intensive care setting.

The term "low-resource setting" (LRS) is widely used in global health and critical care, yet no universally accepted definition exists. World Bank income classifications are frequently used as proxies for healthcare resources but may not adequately reflect differences in healthcare capacity and delivery within and across countries. Resource limitations may also exist within high-income countries, emphasizing the need for a multidimensional, setting-specific approach. The Consensus on Low-resource setting definition: An inteRnational Delphi sTudY (CLARITY-LRS) aims to achieve international expert consensus on the limitations of country-level income classifications and to develop a context-sensitive framework for defining and characterizing resource-limited acute and critical care settings. CLARITY-LRS is an international modified Delphi study involving 40-50 multidisciplinary panelists from all inhabited continents, with deliberate representation from low-resource settings and inclusion of patient and caregiver perspectives. At least three anonymous electronic Delphi rounds will be conducted using 9-point Likert scales, multiple-choice and ranking questions, and qualitative feedback. Consensus will be predefined as ≥80% agreement, with response stability assessed across consecutive rounds. The study will follow ACCORD guidance for consensus-based research. The resulting consensus is expected to identify key structural, organizational, workforce-related, technological, and clinical dimensions of resource limitations, provide an operational framework applicable across and within countries, and recommend standardized terminology, including whether the term "low-resource setting" should be retained or replaced. This framework may improve comparability of research, interpretation of evidence, and context-sensitive implementation of interventions across diverse healthcare systems.

This proposal responds to NIMH Objective 4.2.c to develop "decision-support tools and technologies that increase the effectiveness and continuous improvement of mental health interventions" by leveraging the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) policy opportunity. First, a web-based platform to host (a) a decision-support tool and (b) automated facilitation for group decisions with the tool will be developed with state partners' feedback. Next, decision makers leading their states' FFPSA quality improvement efforts will be engaged to pilot a decision-support intervention comprised of the tool and live or automated facilitation, and to evaluate the implementation quality of evidence-based programs adopted with the decision-support intervention.