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Bulletin of the World Health... Nov 2023
Topics: Humans; Public Health; Delphi Technique; Global Health
PubMed: 37961056
DOI: 10.2471/BLT.23.011123 -
The Journal of Physician Assistant... Jun 2022
Topics: Clinical Competence; Delphi Technique; Humans; Physician Assistants
PubMed: 35511464
DOI: 10.1097/JPA.0000000000000420 -
Research in Social & Administrative... Jan 2022The Delphi Technique is a group judgement method which is typically used to reach agreement from a group of people with expertise in a particular area. It is an... (Review)
Review
The Delphi Technique is a group judgement method which is typically used to reach agreement from a group of people with expertise in a particular area. It is an iterative process where panel members complete questionnaires over several rounds, often rating their agreement/disagreement against a statement, with changes made in later rounds based on the feedback received. It has been used widely in pharmacy-related studies relevant to education, research and practice. This paper provides a critical analysis of the various design choices which researchers may consider when planning a Delphi namely the panel of participants, the use of the Likert scale, the effect of feedback, what constitutes consensus and the number of rounds. It also gives an overview of the development and origins of the Delphi, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the technique. Advantages include that the Delphi can be conducted with panel members in different geographical locations in their own time, however the technique can therefore take longer to conduct and lacks face-to-face discussion. Patient experts may be less comfortable participating in a relatively complex survey, however the anonymous nature of the process can be more inclusive in allowing participants to feedback candidly. This paper shows the importance of careful planning of the design choices to ensure the reliability and validity of the Delphi.
Topics: Consensus; Delphi Technique; Humans; Reproducibility of Results; Research Design; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 34244078
DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2021.06.027 -
Zeitschrift Fur Evidenz, Fortbildung... Nov 2022In the field of medicine and health sciences, Delphi methods are applied mainly in the exploratory or evaluative phases of a research process. Explicit and implicit...
In the field of medicine and health sciences, Delphi methods are applied mainly in the exploratory or evaluative phases of a research process. Explicit and implicit knowledge of respected experts from research and practice is systematically synthesized. Originally developed as a method for structuring a group communication process, Delphi techniques have been established in the health sector as a consensus method. The findings are used to improve the evidence and acceptance of planned interventions or necessary standards or guidelines and to increase the probability of successful implementation in practice. However, different variants of Delphi methods have been developed in recent years, which are systematically contrasted and reflected in this paper with regard to key epistemological and methodological research activities. Based on this overview, researchers should be enabled to select the most suitable Delphi technique for their own research questions and research endeavors.
Topics: Humans; Delphi Technique; Germany; Consensus; Research Design; Communication
PubMed: 36137932
DOI: 10.1016/j.zefq.2022.08.007 -
British Journal of Anaesthesia Oct 2023Consensus guidelines on the anaesthetic management of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) have recently been published. The rigorous synthesis of... (Review)
Review
Consensus guidelines on the anaesthetic management of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) have recently been published. The rigorous synthesis of expert opinion is invaluable when there are limited data, and these guidelines are a significant step forward. This review both guides practice and identifies important research questions. We challenge those working in this field to collaborate and produce the evidence for whether monitored anaesthesia care (MAC) is associated with a lower incidence of adverse events and better outcomes than general anaesthesia for ERCP.
Topics: Humans; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde; Delphi Technique; Anesthetics; Anesthesiology; Anesthesia, General
PubMed: 37718092
DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.07.001 -
Medicine Feb 2023The use of the Delphi technique is prevalent across health sciences research, and it is used to identify priorities, reach consensus on issues of importance and... (Review)
Review
The use of the Delphi technique is prevalent across health sciences research, and it is used to identify priorities, reach consensus on issues of importance and establish clinical guidelines. Thus, as a form of expert opinion research, it can address fundamental questions present in healthcare. However, there is little guidance on how to conduct them, resulting in heterogenous Delphi studies and methodological confusion. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to introduce the use of the Delphi method, assess the application of the Delphi technique within health sciences research, discuss areas of methodological uncertainty and propose recommendations. Advantages of the use of Delphi include anonymity, controlled feedback, flexibility for the choice of statistical analysis, and the ability to gather participants from geographically diverse areas. Areas of methodological uncertainty worthy of further discussion broadly include experts and data management. For experts, the definition and number of participants remain issues of contention, while there are ongoing difficulties with expert selection and retention. For data management, there are issues with data collection, defining consensus and methods of data analysis, such as percent agreement, central tendency, measures of dispersion, and inferential statistics. Overall, the use of Delphi addresses important issues present in health sciences research, but methodological issues remain. It is likely that the aggregation of future Delphi studies will eventually pave the way for more comprehensive reporting guidelines and subsequent methodological clarity.
Topics: Humans; Delphi Technique; Consensus; Medicine; Research Design
PubMed: 36800594
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000032829 -
British Journal of Anaesthesia Jul 2024Using a modified Delphi technique, an international group of regional anaesthetists generated a list of top research priorities in regional anaesthesia. The list of...
Using a modified Delphi technique, an international group of regional anaesthetists generated a list of top research priorities in regional anaesthesia. The list of unanswered research questions was created from a questionnaire completed by >500 anaesthetists and distilled into 11 priorities grouped into four themes: clinical practice and efficacy, pain management, technology and equipment, and training and assessment.
Topics: Humans; Anesthesia, Conduction; Delphi Technique; Surveys and Questionnaires; Biomedical Research; Research; Pain Management; Anesthesiology
PubMed: 38702237
DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2024.04.009 -
Histopathology Aug 2022The Delphi method is a well-established research tool, used for consensus building across a number of fields. Despite its widespread use, and popularity in many medical... (Review)
Review
The Delphi method is a well-established research tool, used for consensus building across a number of fields. Despite its widespread use, and popularity in many medical specialities, there is a paucity of literature on the use of the Delphi method in Histopathology. This literature review seeks to critique the Delphi methodology and explore its potential applications to histopathology-based clinical and research questions. We review those published studies that have utilized the Delphi methodology in Histopathology settings and specifically outline the advantages and limitations of this technique, highlighting situations where its application can be most effective.
Topics: Consensus; Delphi Technique; Humans; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 35322456
DOI: 10.1111/his.14650 -
Urogynecology (Philadelphia, Pa.) Oct 2022This clinical consensus statement on vaginal energy-based devices (EBDs) reflects an update by content experts from the American Urogynecologic Society's EBD writing...
This clinical consensus statement on vaginal energy-based devices (EBDs) reflects an update by content experts from the American Urogynecologic Society's EBD writing group. In 2019, the American Urogynecologic Society's EBD writing group used a modified Delphi process to assess statements that were evaluated for consensus after a structured literature search. A total of 40 statements were assessed and divided into 5 categories: (1) patient criteria, (2) health care provider criteria, (3) efficacy, (4) safety, and (5) treatment considerations. Of the 40 statements that were assessed, 28 reached consensus and the remaining 12 did not. Lack of evidence was among the main reasons that vulvovaginal EBD treatment statements did not reach consensus. In March 2022, these statements were reassessed using the interim literature.
Topics: Female; Humans; United States; Delphi Technique; Consensus
PubMed: 36256959
DOI: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000001241 -
Research in Social & Administrative... Jan 2022Consensus research methods are used in health services research to generate evidence through systematic means of measuring collective agreement and developing consensus...
Consensus research methods are used in health services research to generate evidence through systematic means of measuring collective agreement and developing consensus from experts of a subject matter. Delphi technique is the most commonly reported consensus research method and is a structured, multistage interaction method to determine consensus using repetitive administration of anonymous questionnaires across two or three rounds. The Delphi technique is increasingly being used in pharmacy practice research. Despite its wide use in the development of statements of policies, guidelines, and performance indicators, there is lack of standardized guidelines and criteria to support the Delphi technique study design, conduct, and reporting, leading to inconsistent approaches and methodological difficulties among researchers. In this themed article, we provide the reader with a collation of best practices and highlight key methodological issues and areas of uncertainty of the Delphi method, especially as it pertains to pharmacy practice research.
Topics: Consensus; Delphi Technique; Humans; Pharmaceutical Services; Pharmacy; Pharmacy Research
PubMed: 34412997
DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2021.06.028