Delphi methodology in healthcare research: How to decide its appropriateness

🤖 Plain-English Summary

The Delphi technique is a systematic process of forecasting using the collective opinion of panel members. There was inconsistency in reporting vital elements of Delphi methods such as identification of panel members, defining consensus, closing criteria for rounds, and presenting the results.

🔑 Key Findings

• The structured method of developing consensus among panel members using Delphi methodology has gained acceptance in diverse fields of medicine.
• The Delphi methods assumed a pivotal role in the last few decades to develop best practice guidance using collective intelligence where research is limited, ethically/logistically difficult or evidence is conflicting.
• However, the attempts to assess the quality standard of Delphi studies have reported significant variance, and details of the process followed are usually unclear.

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