Physician experiences with clinical uncertainty in the trauma setting: making clinical guidance accessible to those in need.

Introduction: Globally, trauma patients suffer from high rates of preventable deaths, in part driven by low rates of access to and application of resource-relevant evidence-informed clinical guidance. This mixed-methods study assessed the accessibility (barriers to attempting to use guidance), clarity (ease of comprehension), utility (based on resources and time), and implementation of trauma guidance for Peruvian injury providers. Methods: Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted in Spanish at three hospitals in Lima, Peru. Interviews were analyzed in Dedoose V.9.1.12 using an iteratively developed codebook; quantitative self-administered surveys were then developed and distributed at the Pan American Trauma Society Conference. Surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics and frequencies. Results: 38 interviews and 83 surveys were conducted with surgical attendings, emergency physicians, and surgical and emergency residents across all years of training. Access barriers included paywalls, language barriers, low user-friendliness, and technology limits (poor internet, few computers). A mobile app and portable physical guidance are preferred potential solutions. Utility barriers included low equipment maintenance and high patient volumes. Resource-based guidance, conciseness (eg, flowcharts), and standardization are perceived to potentially increase utility. Implementation barriers included limited training time, reliance on more experienced colleagues rather than guidance, low enforcement, and low funding. Potential facilitators are increased administrative support and staff willingness to use guidance improving patient mortality, clinical errors, and length of stay. No barriers to clarity were reported. Conclusion: Barriers to using clinical guidance included low user-friendliness, low local applicability, and an unsupportive culture. Mobile apps, resource stratification, and administrative involvement are priorities to address these needs. Trauma guidance adapted to local realities may reduce preventable deaths in acute care. Further work is needed to identify how to create and distribute updated clinical guidance to better serve trauma providers worldwide. Level of evidence: Economic and Value-based Evaluations Level 2.