Development of a core outcome set for recurrent acute and chronic pancreatitis: Results of a Delphi poll

Background/objective: Recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) lack effective therapies. There is no consensus or guidance on which endpoints or outcome measures should be used in clinical trials. This study aimed to develop a core outcome set aligned with both patient and provider priorities for RAP and CP. Utilizing the Outcomes Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) framework, a multi-stakeholder approach was adopted to identify and prioritize outcome domains.

Methods: A two-round Delphi poll was conducted among four stakeholder groups: adult patients, parents and pediatric patients, adult health care providers and pediatric health care providers. Steering committee consensus further refined the core outcome domains, categorizing them as mandatory, important but optional, or research agenda domains, with full consensus achieved.

Results: Pain severity, ability to participate in social roles and activities, pancreatitis related hospitalization/ER visits and acute pancreatitis flare-ups were recommended as mandatory outcome domains for future clinical trials in RAP/CP.

Conclusions: Using the OMERACT framework, we developed a core outcome set for RAP and CP. Future research will focus on identifying validated measures for each domain, facilitating standardized assessments across clinical trials.