Delphi Study into Practice Supervision Standards

Research and Evaluation Programmes 2024-2025

Delphi Study into Practice Supervision Standards

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Project background: What and Why

Through the Centre’s work on other projects such as the MSc in Rural Advanced Practice and the parallel work on the creation of a Rural Advanced Practice Supervision Hub, it was noted that no set of principles or standards currently exists for remote and rural practice supervision. High-quality supervision is being carried out in remote, rural, and island areas within Scotland but with no formal standards that are specific to the unique challenges and opportunities within remote and rural practice.

There is a need to produce a robust and expert-led set of standards and principles for practice supervision in remote and rural practice to ensure safe and effective practice for practitioners training within these underserved areas.

Project description: Who and How

Using the Delphi technique, the project will seek to achieve international consensus on general principles for remote and rural practice supervision.

The Delphi method is a systematic technique that utilises a panel of experts in the field to reach a structured consensus through a series of questionnaires with Likert scale responses that are gradually decreased over multiple rounds until a final consensus is reached. A working group will be established consisting of key stakeholders who will contribute to the development of an initial broad list of standards statements for the expert panel to review through the various rounds of the Delphi study.

Expected outcome: When and What Difference

This project will run through 2024-25 and into 2025-26 with the aim of publishing a final consensus paper by September 2025 followed by a programme of dissemination work and activities.

The project will make a valuable and vital contribution to the academic literature around remote and rural health and care practice by publishing an expert-produced set of practice supervision standards for remote and rural practice – the first of its kind globally – and will provide a robust set of standards for the global community of remote and rural health and care researchers and practitioners to use or adapt to meet the needs of their own specific needs.

Supporting remote, rural, and island practitioners in primary care is a core aim of the Centre and this work is key in supporting the confidence and capability of practitioners in training roles as they transition towards qualified roles.