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Consensus Methods for Health Research in a Global Setting

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Handbook of Social Sciences and Global Public Health

Abstract

Understanding and addressing the priorities of relevant stakeholders is needed in healthcare decision-making, particularly when there is uncertainty due to insufficient evidence, healthcare resources are limited, or to optimize the delivery and assessment of interventions. Consensus methods have diverse applications that include prioritizing research questions that meet the needs of all stakeholders, outcomes for trials, clinical practice guidelines, topics for medical education, and the allocation of scarce resources. Formal consensus methods generate agreement among stakeholders in a transparent, inclusive, and rigorous way. In general, this is achieved by identifying, exploring, and clarifying the set of issues or opinions followed by a process to reconcile opinions (i.e., consensus development). Common features of consensus methods include the provision of standardized materials, moderated interactions, private polling, and iterative feedback from the group. This chapter reviews the three most commonly used formal consensus methods: the nominal group technique, the Delphi method, and stakeholder workshops, and discusses their use in healthcare research in a global setting.

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Correspondence to Simon A. Carter .

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© 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

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Carter, S.A., Tong, A., Craig, J.C., Teixeira-Pinto, A., Manera, K.E. (2023). Consensus Methods for Health Research in a Global Setting. In: Liamputtong, P. (eds) Handbook of Social Sciences and Global Public Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96778-9_65-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96778-9_65-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-96778-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-96778-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Social SciencesReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Consensus Methods for Health Research in a Global Setting
    Published:
    13 June 2023

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96778-9_65-2

  2. Original

    Consensus Methods for Health Research in a Global Setting
    Published:
    04 June 2023

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96778-9_65-1