Use of the Mini-Delphi Method to Develop Behavioral Interventions From Expert and Patient Perspectives: An Example in...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Psychology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Epilepsy affects over 3.5 million Americans, necessitating lifelong self-management.
• Current interventions often lack comprehensive psychological motivation support, focusing mainly on autonomy and competence.
• A need exists for interventions addressing all three psychological components: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and refine a novel epilepsy self-management intervention.
• To incorporate psychological motivations including autonomy, competence, and relatedness (intimate relationship satisfaction).
• To assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention using a mini-Delphi technique.

Main Methods:

• A mini-Delphi technique was employed, involving iterative feedback from two advisory boards.
• One board comprised healthcare professionals, and the other consisted of individuals with epilepsy.
• Feedback was gathered through qualitative and quantitative measures over a 3-month period.

Main Results:

• Advisory boards provided crucial input on intervention design, including content, structure, and implementation.
• Iterative revisions based on feedback led to a finalized intervention.
• All advisory board members provided a highly positive evaluation of the refined intervention.

Conclusions:

• The mini-Delphi technique facilitated the refinement of intervention content, delivery, and implementation strategies.
• This approach proved efficient and cost-effective for gathering diverse stakeholder perspectives.
• The finalized intervention is poised for further testing to improve epilepsy self-management.