Impact of question order on prioritisation of outcomes in the development of a core outcome set: a randomised controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Core outcome set (COS) developers increasingly employ Delphi surveys to elicit stakeholders' opinions of which outcomes to measure and report in trials of a particular condition or intervention. Research outside of Delphi surveys and COS development demonstrates that question order can affect response rates and lead to 'context effects', where prior questions determine an item's meaning and influence responses. This study examined the impact of question order within a Delphi survey for a COS for oesophageal cancer surgery.

Methods

A randomised controlled trial was nested within the Delphi survey. Patients and health professionals were randomised to receive a survey including clinical and patient-reported outcomes (PROs), where the PRO section appeared first or las

SUBMITTER: Brookes ST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5784591 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature