APPLICATION OF FUZZY DELPHI IN LEPTOSPIROSIS CHECKLIST CONTENT VALIDATION

Abstract

Background: Fuzzy Delphi is a method used to get expert consensus regarding a subject matter. It helps the researcher to develop their questionnaire by deciding on what item to be included in the study. In recent years, this method has gained wide acceptance in many fields. In this paper, we used the Fuzzy Delphi method to validate a checklist for severe leptospirosis.

Materials and Methods: We created a list of questions from the literature review and questionnaires used by other authors. A total number of 54 items were selected and grouped according to their relevance. The questionnaire was later sent to a group of experts in their respective fields, namely clinician and emergency department specialist. For the validation process, fuzzy Delphi method using Triangular Fuzzy Numbers and Defuzzification process was used. In the checklist evaluation, ten experts were involved in evaluating 54 items.

Result: The experts agreed on 52 items and were in disagreement with two items, namely, chills and rigor. The average score was from 0.57 to 0.8. The two items were removed from the checklist

Conclusion: By using the Fuzzy Delphi method, items in the checklist for severe leptospirosis have enhanced accuracy and also reduces the time taken to develop established tools.

Keywords: Fuzzy Delphi, leptospirosis, survey questionnaire, validation