Developing key performance indicators for the Canadian chiropractic profession: a modified Delphi study

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to develop a list of performance indicators to assess the status of the chiropractic profession in Canada. METHOD: We conducted a 4-round modified Delphi technique (March 2018–January 2020) to reach consensus among experts and stakeholders on key status indicators for the chiropractic profession using online questionnaires. During the first round, experts suggested indicators for preidentified themes. Through the following two rounds, the importance and feasibility of each indicator was rated on an 11-point Likert scale, and their related potential sources of data identified. In the final round, provincial stakeholders were recruited to rate the importance of the indicators within the 90th percentile and identified those most important to their organisation. RESULTS: The first round generated 307 preliminary indicators of which 42 were selected for the remaining rounds, and eleven were preferentially selected by most of the provincial stakeholders. Experts agreed the feasibility of all indicators was high, and that data could be collected through a combination of data obtained from professional liability insurance records and survey(s) of the general population, patients, and chiropractors. CONCLUSIONS: A set of performance indicators to assess the status of the Canadian chiropractic profession emerged from a scientific and stakeholder consensus. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12998-022-00439-z.