Triage: A new group technique gaining recognition in evaluation

Abstract

TRIAGE, or Technique for Research of Information by Animation of a Group of Experts, is an inductive and structured method for collecting information that aims to obtain a group consensus. The goal of this technique is to provide quality informative material quickly and efficiently to enable decision-making or to develop more sophisticated survey tools. TRIAGE both distinguishes itself from, and complements, the main group techniques used in evaluation up until now. These are the Delphi technique, the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) and the focus group (Delbecq, Van de Ven & Gustafson, 1975).

The definition, the context for use as well as the different parts of the usual process of TRIAGE technique (recruiting of participants, individual production phase, collective production phase with visual support, validation of results) will firstly be presented then compared to these advocated in the Delphi, NGT and focus group techniques.

Also, examples of TRIAGE being applied in different evaluation contexts, such as the development of measurement instruments and the evaluation of health programs, will be presented. These examples will illustrate the richness, the flexibility and the potential of this technique as an assessment tool. Finally, the strengths and shortcomings of TRIAGE will be discussed.