Background and study aim: Gastrointestinal endoscopy is a rapidly evolving research field. The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) plays a key role in shaping opinion and endoscopy activity throughout Europe and further afield. Establishing key unanswered questions within the field of endoscopy and prioritizing those that are important enables researchers and funders to appropriately allocate resources. Methods: Over 2 years, the ESGE Research Committee gathered information on research priorities and refined them through a modified Delphi approach. Consultations were held with the ESGE Governing Board and Quality Improvement Committee to identify important unanswered questions. Research workshops were held at the 21st United European Gastroenterology Week. Research questions were refined by the ESGE Research Committee and Governing Board, compiled into an online survey, and distributed to all ESGE members, who were invited to rank each question by priority. Results: The final questionnaire yielded 291 responses from over 60 countries. The three countries with the highest response rates were Spain, Italy, and United Kingdom. Most responders were from teaching hospitals (62 %) and were specialist endoscopists (51 %). Responses were analyzed with weighted rankings, resulting in prioritization of 26 key unanswered questions. The top ranked generic questions were: 1) How do we define the correct surveillance interval following endoscopic diagnosis? 2) How do we correctly utilize advanced endoscopic imaging? 3) What are the best markers of endoscopy quality? Conclusion: Following this comprehensive process, the ESGE has identified and ranked the key unanswered questions within the field of gastrointestinal endoscopy. Researchers, funders, and journals should prioritize studies that seek to answer these important questions.

Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Gastroenterology and Hepatology Clinic Fundeni Clinical Institute Bucharest Romania

Department of Digestive Diseases Hospital Edouard Herriot Lyon France

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Academic Medical Centre University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine Prague Czech Republic

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Radboud University Medical Center NIjmegen The Netherlands

Department of Gastroenterology Gloucestershire Royal Hospital Gloucester United Kingdom

Department of Gastroenterology Hepatology and Oncology Medical Centre for Postgraduate Education and the Maria Sklodowska Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology Warsaw Poland

Department of Gastroenterology Hepatopancreatology and Digestive Oncology Université Libre de Bruxelles Erasme Hospital Brussels Belgium

Department of Gastroenterology Hospital General Universitario Alicante Spain

Department of Gastroenterology Instituto Portugues de Oncologia Porto Portugal

Department of Gastroenterology South Tyneside District Hospital South Shields United Kingdom

Department of Gastroenterology University Hospital Leuven Leuven Belgium

Department of Gastroenterology University Hospital of North Tees Stockton on Tees Cleveland United Kingdom

Department of Health Management and Health Economics and KG Jebsen Center for Colorectal Cancer Research University of Oslo Oslo Norway

Department of Medicine Josephs Hospital Warendorf Academic Teaching Hospital University of Münster Warendorf Germany

Department of Transplantation Medicine Oslo University Hospital Oslo Norway

Digestive Endoscopy Unit Catholic University Rome Italy

Gastroenterology Unit Nuovo Regina Margherita Hospital Rome Italy

Gastrointestinal Unit Department of Surgery University Hospital Herlev Copenhagen Denmark

Institute of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Ha'Emek Medical Centre Afula Israel

Research Centre of Gastroenterology and Hepatology University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova Craiova Romania

Endoscopy. 2016 Oct;48(10):961. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-116196. PubMed

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