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. 2024 Jan 23;21(1):e1004326. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004326

Table 2. Examples of applications of consensus methods in healthcare-related research.

Study purpose How consensus helps
Clinical practice guidelines [10] Translating evidence into clinical recommendations, particularly where the evidence is uncertain, and incorporating multiple perspectives; creating clinical recommendations based on experience
Diagnostic guidelines [11] Defining the markers, signs, and symptoms or thresholds that indicate a specific condition
Disease classification [11] Classifying disease type or severity
Establishing research priorities [12] Defining and ranking priorities in the context of limited resources
Developing core outcome sets [13] Defining the most important and clinically significant outcomes in research
Formulating policy [14] Analyzing and interpreting evidence, its biases and strengths, to inform policies. People gathered in consensus activities can analyze evidence together from different perspectives
Reporting guidelines [15] Developing guidance on what should be reported in scientific articles to enhance transparency and methodological rigor