The Delphi method and health research
Top Cited Papers
- 1 February 2003
- journal article
- Published by Emerald in Health Education
- Vol. 103 (1), 7-16
- https://doi.org/10.1108/09654280310459112
Abstract
The Delphi method is well suited to the research needed to inform health education and health promotion campaigns. This paper measures the current interest in the method by way of a literature review. It then describes how the method has evolved from its inception in the 1950s, to its current form. The focus is on a Delphi variant that is particularly relevant to health education – the Policy Delphi. The benefits of the method for the developer of health education and health promotion campaigns are then discussed. The main benefits relate to the gaining of expert opinions without the time and geographical restraints involved in alternative methods. The anonymity that is central to the Delphi method also has benefits for the researcher. The last section of the paper deals with potential pitfalls in the Delphi method that might undermine the successful application of the method, and recommends steps the practitioner can take to address these pitfalls.Keywords
This publication has 31 references indexed in Scilit:
- Research needs and priorities in health informaticsInternational Journal of Medical Informatics, 2000
- A delphi approach to characterising "relapse" as used in UK clinical practice.International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 2000
- The fuzzy Delphi method via fuzzy statistics and membership function fitting and an application to the human resourcesFuzzy Sets and Systems, 2000
- The Delphi techniqueNursing Standard, 1999
- Delphi: a technique to harness expert opinion for critical decision‐making tasks in educationEducational Psychology, 1997
- International Business and Trade in the Next Decade: Report from a Delphi StudyJournal of International Business Studies, 1997
- A Delphi study of goals and evaluation criteria of state and privately owned Latin American airlinesSocio-Economic Planning Sciences, 1995
- Exploring complex policy questions using the policy DelphiApplied Geography, 1995
- Using the Delphi process to analyze social policy implementation: A post hoc case from vocational rehabilitationPolicy Sciences, 1993
- An Experimental Application of the DELPHI Method to the Use of ExpertsManagement Science, 1963