Advantages and Limitations of the e-Delphi Technique

TLDR

In the last 30 years the Delphi technique has expanded, and the Internet offers a means to mitigate its limitations and broaden its application, yet e‑Delphi remains speculative with limited methodological guidance in health education. This paper seeks to advance understanding of e‑Delphi, contribute to its evolution, and provide practical guidance for researchers in health education while enriching the broader discourse on Internet‑based inquiry. The authors demonstrate that e‑Delphi can effectively and efficiently address traditional Delphi limitations, but methodological issues remain, highlighting the need for further research to resolve challenges in health‑education applications.

Abstract

Abstract In the last 30 years, the application of the Delphi technique has been increasing. With the recent availability and established popularity of Internet-based research tools, the Internet has been identified as a means for mitigating Delphi limitations, maximizing its advantages, and expanding the breadth of its application. The discourse on the application of "e-Delphi" has been speculative in nature, however, with pragmatic analysis of Internet-based Delphi administration being limited in scope. Concomitantly, methodological guidance for conducting the e-Delphi in health education is limited, with best-practice implementation strategies yet to emerge. This paper advances the understanding of the e-Delphi technique, contributes to the evolution of this Internet-based research methodology, and provides guidance for the e-Delphi researcher in health education. Further, it offers a contribution to the discourse about Internet-based inquiry generally, and on using the e-Delphi technique in health education specifically. The authors illustrate that e-Delphi has a range of benefits that are effective and efficient in assuaging traditional Delphi limitations; nevertheless, a set of methodological issues remain unaddressed and make apparent the need for future research investments to better understand and alleviate challenges presented for e-Delphi research in health education.