Skip to main content

Table 3 Grading system for determining consensus in round 1 of the e-Delphi study

From: A protocol for developing core outcome sets for laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair

Grade

Criteria for judging agreement

Decision rule

A**

The median rating for both expert panels is 9

Consider in round two

A*

 ≥ 70% of respondents in each panel evaluate a certain outcome domain ≥ 7

Consider in round two

A

The median rating for a particular outcome domain is ≥ 7 for both expert panels

Include in round 2 if one of the panels earns a median score of 9 OR qualitative evidence justifies continued consideration

B

Only one expert panel had a median rating for an outcome domain ≥ 7

Include in round 2 if the median score for this group is 9 OR qualitative evidence justifies further consideration

C

The median rating for the two panels together falls between 4 and 6, and no single panel has a median rating of ≥ 7

Omit from round two (unless strong qualitative evidence supports further consideration)

D

The median rating for the two panels combined falls between 1 and 3, and no single group has a median rating of ≥ 7

Omit from round two (unless strong qualitative evidence supports further consideration)

  1. “*” indicates different levels of A grade, with more * indicating a higher level of A grade