Methodology used to develop the minimum common data elements for surveillance and Reporting of Musculoskeletal Injuries in the MILitary (ROMMIL) statement

Background The objective was to summarize the methodology used to develop the international minimum data elements for surveillance and Reporting of Musculoskeletal Injuries in the MILitary (ROMMIL) statement. This is a recommended list of elements to be collected and reported when conducting injury surveillance research in military settings. Methods A Delphi methodology was employed to reach consensus. Preliminary steps included conducting a literature review and surveying a convenience sample of military stakeholders to 1) identify barriers and facilitators of military musculoskeletal injury (MSKI) prevention programs, 2) identify relevant knowledge gaps, and 3) establish future research priorities. A sequential three-round Delphi consensus survey followed, including relevant stakeholders from militaries around the world, using results to conduct an asynchronous knowledge user meeting (mixture of in-person and live video conference and recording) to explore the level of agreement among subject matter experts. Knowledge users, including former and current military service members, civilian practitioners working in military health networks, and international subject matter experts having experience with policy, execution, or clinical investigation of MSKI mitigation programs, MSKI diagnoses, and MSKI risk factors in military settings. For each round, participants scored questions on a Likert scale of 1-5. Scores ranged from No Importance (1) to Strong Importance (5). Results Literature review and surveys helped inform the scope of potential variables. Three rounds were necessary to reach minimum consensus. Ninety-five, 65, and 42 respondents participated in the first, second and third rounds, respectively. Conclusions Achieving consensus across relevant knowledge users representing military organizations globally can be challenging. This paper details the methodology employed to reach consensus for a core minimum data elements checklist for conducting MSKI research in military settings and improve data harmonization and scalability efforts. These methods can be used as a resource to assist in future consensus endeavors of similar nature.