title: Use of a Delphi panel to establish consensus for recommended uses of selected balance assessment approaches.
abstract: The Delphi survey is a useful mechanism to make recommendations for clinical judgments in the absence of practice guidelines for evidence-based decision making. Although there is a great deal of literature about the topic of various methods of balance assessment, decisions about application of research evidence for clinical practice may be subject to personal interpretation and/or biases of the reader. In this study, a panel of informed experts was used through a Delphi process to establish consensus regarding the recommended use of selected balance assessment methods based on the literature. Selective recruitment of experienced faculty members with advanced degrees and/or specialist certification in the content area identified seven knowledgeable informants. The panel participated in three rounds of discussion to develop a consensus-based summary of the recommended use of balance assessment methods commonly used in clinical practice and suggest how those measures fit within the framework of the Patient/Client Management Model of physical therapy practice. The outcomes of the Delphi process form a basis for recommended practice in the examination of patients with balance deficits and serve as a starting point in the development of evidence-based practice guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Pomona, New Jersey 08240, USA. Patricia.McGinnis@stockton.edu
authors.forename: Patricia Q
authors.initials: PQ
authors.lastname: McGinnis
authors.forename: Susan F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Wainwright
authors.forename: Laurita M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Hack
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nixon-Cave
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Michlovitz
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control; D032921:Consensus; D003697:Delphi Technique; D003943:Diagnostic Techniques, Neurological / Q000592:standards*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D026761:Physical Therapy Specialty / Q000592:standards*; D004856:Postural Balance; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011594:Psychometrics; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014481:United States