Building consensus in defining and conceptualizing acceptability of healthcare: A Delphi study

Background The concept of healthcare acceptability is important for nursing staff spending most of their time with patients. Nevertheless, acceptability remains confusing without a collective definition in existing literature. Objective This study aimed to create a consensus among experts on definition and conceptual framework of healthcare acceptability. Methods We conducted two rounds of Delphi surveys to collect opinions from experts on definition and conceptual framework of healthcare acceptability proposed following thematic content analysis. We calculated the consensus among experts using the modified Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument and followed the guidance on conducting and reporting Delphi studies (CREDES) best practices. Results A total of 34 experts completed two rounds of Delphi survey. The definition was validated through consensus as: “a multi-construct concept describing the nonlinear cumulative combination in parts or in whole of experienced or anticipated specific healthcare from the relevant patients/participants, communities, providers/researchers or healthcare systems' managers and policy makers' perspectives in a given context.” The overall quality rating was 92.6% and 95.1% for the proposed definition and conceptual framework respectively. Conclusion Opinions collected from experts provided significant insights to build a consensus on healthcare acceptability advancing public health nursing