The use of the Delphi panel for consensus development on indicators of laboratory performance

The objective of this research study is to identify laboratory performance areas and indicators of performance from the perspective of key laboratory constituencies. A specific technique, the Delphi panel, is used to achieve consensus on a system of indicators that can be used by laboratory service managers to build information pathways, increase efficiency, and improve outcomes. Individual panels represented the five highest ranked stakeholder groups: hospital executives, managed care executives, referring physicians, laboratory regulators, and laboratory managers. The instruments used for the Delphi panels were developed and validated in a pilot study. After three rounds, each panel had identified a set of priority performance areas and indicators for each area. Although concurring that the Delphi was valuable and effective in identifying performance areas, participants indicated that it was less useful in developing specific indicators enabling monitoring of laboratory performance over time or cross-laboratory comparisons.