The Delphi panel method for generating health information
Oranga, H.M.; Nordberg, E.
Health Policy and Planning 8(4): 405-412
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0268-1080 DOI: 10.1093/heapol/8.4.405Document Number: 333450
The Delphi panel technique was used as a component of a health information system in 1991 in rural Kenya. Twenty-six panel members were selected from 12 villages in a sub-district of Machakos District with a population of 160 000. Most of the panellists had poor reading and writing skills, so 12 interviewers were trained to assist them in completing questionnaires on issues such as the incidence and prevalence of common illnesses in different age groups, water supply and sanitation, maternal and child health, and priority interventions. Except for minor differences in the ranking of common illnesses, the Delphi study provided results consistent with a household survey undertaken in the area at the same time. The conclusion highlights the usefulness of the Delphi panel approach for generating health information in semi-literate communities, and its relative inexpensiveness compared to other methods if applied by local staff.