Using the Delphi Technique in Planning a Research Project on the Occupational Therapist's Role in Enabling People to Make Vocational Choices following Illness or Injury

Abstract

While planning a research project intended to examine the role of the occupational therapist in enabling people to make vocational choices following illness or injury, it was decided to use the Delphi technique in order to ascertain the views of stakeholders in this field. Panellists were asked about the types of problem encountered when people are considering their future occupation after a long period of sick leave, and to identify the services that might be expected to assist with such problems. Although the response from selected panellists was initially poor, those who responded to the first round generally continued to respond to further rounds until a consensus was formed of stakeholder opinions. The survey showed that financial problems, loss of confidence, coping with the effects of permanent disability, employers' attitudes and the need for training or retraining were considered to be the main problems facing people in this situation. Despite the low response, the Delphi technique proved itself to be a flexible and valuable tool for gathering data when planning services. This article aims to describe and evaluate the Delphi method, and to summarise the information gathered through its use on this occasion.