Journal of School of Public Health and

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The purpose of this study was the creation and measurement of consensus regarding formation of a new Department of Health in Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). Using a three-iteration Delphi procedure, consensus was built and measured among experts on different aspects of a possible merger between the current Medical Care and Health Care Departments and the formation of a new Department of Health in TUMS. Forty-two experts from the Ministry of Health, TUMS, other medical universities in Tehran, the Management and Planning Organization and other research bodies were included in this study. Feedback from the aggregate responses of the panel was used to construct questionnaires employed in subsequent iterations of the Delphi. We used a Likert scale for assessment of opinions consensus was defined as agreement or disagreement of at least two thirds of respondents on a particular subject. Consensus was attained in 27 out of the 36 items presented in the third round of the study. Consensus on the necessity and feasibility of the formation of the new department in TUMS was achieved after three rounds of the Delphi process. The panel converged to form a consensus on the need for a merger from different perspectives, including the overlapping responsibilities of the two departments, promoting a community-oriented approach, improving the quality of services and bringing the reforms in line with the policies of the Ministry of Health. Conclusion: The experts who participated in this study achieved consensus on the necessity and feasibility of formation of a new Department of Health in TUMS.

Keywords: Delphi, consensus

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