# Use of the Delphi method as an instrument of community participation in health needs assessment

## TL;DR

This paper shows how the Delphi method helped communities in Spain participate in identifying local health needs and influenced policy decisions.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the Delphi method's effectiveness in community health assessments and policy development in a local government context.

## Key findings

- The Delphi method enabled successful community participation in health needs assessments.
- Prioritized health items were incorporated into local policies, accelerating decision-making.
- The approach was found to be replicable and cost-effective for local governments.

## Abstract

We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the usefulness of the Delphi technique for facilitating community participation in local health needs assessments within the Andalusian Local Health Action Network, Spain. We developed an ad hoc online questionnaire based on the Social Determinants of Health model and applied it to a panel of experts in two municipalities in the province of Seville (Andalusia, Spain) between May and June 2021. Our results reflected good panelist participation. The questionnaire successfully enabled the prioritization of both new and original items, some of which were incorporated into local health policies. We concluded that the Delphi method was effective for facilitating participation in local health needs assessments offering a replicable, cost-effective approach that accelerated local policy development and supported the implementation of Health in All Policies within local government.