Attaining a British consensus on managing idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus up to walking age

Aims The aim of this study was to gain an agreement on the management of idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) up to walking age in order to provide a benchmark for practitioners and guide consistent, high--quality care for children with CTEV. Methods The consensus process followed an established Delphi approach with a predetermined degree of agreement. The process included the following steps: establishing a steering group; steering group meetings, generating statements, and checking them against the literature; a two--round Delphi survey; and final consensus meeting. The steering group members and Delphi survey participants were all British Society of Children's Orthopaedic Surgery (BSCOS) members. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis of the Delphi survey results. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation checklist was followed for reporting of the results. Conclusion We have produced a consensus document for the treatment of idiopathic CTEV up to walking age. This will provide a benchmark for standard of care in the UK and will help to reduce geographical variability in treatment and outcomes. Appropriate dissemination and implementation will be key to its success.