Survey-based partial agreement Rasch analysis in rapid clinical guideline development.
| Purpose | Description |
| Expert consensus | Rasch analysis can quantify the collective judgment of expert surgeons in a probabilistic manner,82 turning subjective opinions into measurable data that can be used to formulate guidelines. |
| Identifying practice patterns | Clinical practice patterns can be identified, revealing commonalities and variations in how surgeons treat spinal conditions. |
| Gap analysis | It can highlight areas where there is a lack of consensus or divergent practices, indicating gaps in the evidence base that may require further research. |
| Outcome correlation | Responses from surgeons about their experiences with different treatment approaches can be correlated with patient outcomes, helping to identify which practices yield the best results. |
| Prioritization of research | The Rasch model can help prioritize areas where new evidence is most needed, directing research efforts more efficiently and ensuring that living guidelines focus on the most clinically relevant questions. |
| Dynamic updates | By regularly surveying spine surgeons and analyzing the data with the Rasch model, living guidelines can be updated to reflect changes in clinical practice and new evidence as they occur. |
| Standardization | This model helps standardize the interpretation of qualitative data, which are essential for integrating such information into a living document that must maintain objectivity and credibility. |
| Quantitative feedback | The Rasch model provides quantitative feedback from surveys, which can be statistically analyzed to inform evidence grading and recommendation strength in the guidelines. |