Delphi: myths and reality

TLDR

Delphi has attracted growing interest in health‑care research, yet attempts to codify a single definition have led to narrow, prescriptive views that risk violating its original intent. This study seeks to dispel myths surrounding Delphi and illustrate its broad applicability. The authors critically examine controversies and misunderstandings about Delphi to achieve this goal.

Abstract

The last 20 years have seen increasing interest in the use of Delphi in a wide range of health-care applications. However, this use has been accompanied by attempts to codify and define a "true Delphi". Many authors take a narrow view of the purpose of Delphi and/or advocate a single prescriptive approach to the conduct of a Delphi study. However, as early as 1975, Linstone and Turoff pointed to the danger of attempting to define Delphi as one would immediately encounter a study that violated that definition. Through critical examination of some of the controversies and misunderstandings that surround Delphi, this paper aims to dispel some of the myths and demonstrates the wide scope and potential of this versatile approach.