Effects of Population Compared to Purposive Sampling for Consensus in an Online Delphi Study

The Delphi method of engaging panels of experts from specific interest areas has been widely utilized in the for the development of research reporting guidelines, core outcome sets, clinical medicine, nursing practice, medical education and healthcare services. An assessment completed by Atkins and colleagues in 2005 report that a small panel of similarly trained experts can develop reliable criteria that inform judgment and support effective decision-making. Despite the wide applicability of the Delphi methodology, it is not known how the number of participants or their similarity as a stakeholder group influences results in an online Delphi.Purposeful sampling will be used with a randomized sample taken from each stakeholder group for analysis and this analysis will be presented alongside the full analysis and the results compared.

The Protocol Lab for Online Trials-Delphi (PLOT-D), which will use an online 3-round Delphi combined with participatory action research to inform the development of a multi-use protocol template for writing protocols for self-recruited online trials of interventional self-management. The Protocol lab will use the Delphi findings, along with earlier research to redesign a series of protocols for online randomized trials with the aim of providing support for citizens to work alongside researchers to build participatory health trials online.

Inclusion criteria

• Protocol lab online trials Delphi (PLOT-D) Participant

Exclusion criteria

• None if meets inclusion criteria