A consensus meeting is a structured, face-to-face (or virtual) gathering of experts, stakeholders, or representatives from relevant fields aimed at reaching agreement on a specific issue where evidence may be uncertain, incomplete, or requires contextual interpretation.

• Achieve agreement on clinical or policy decisions.
• Finalize recommendations developed through prior methods (e.g. Delphi rounds).
• Prioritize outcomes, indicators, or interventions.
• Resolve outstanding disagreements from previous consensus steps.

• Development of:
  1. Clinical practice guidelines
  2. Core Outcome Sets (COS)
  3. Ethical frameworks
  4. Health technology assessments
• Consensus on:
  1. Definitions
  2. Diagnostic criteria
  3. Treatment appropriateness

• Participants: Multidisciplinary experts, clinicians, patients, policymakers.
• Chairperson: Neutral moderator to guide discussion.
• Format:
  1. Presentation of background evidence
  2. Open discussion
  3. Structured debate
  4. Voting (anonymous or open)
  5. Consensus defined (e.g., ≥70% agreement)
• Documentation: Minutes, consensus statement, list of unresolved issues.

• Often follows a Delphi process.
• Used to finalize outcomes of RAND/UCLA ratings.
• Can serve as the final stage in COS development.

• Allows real-time clarification and negotiation.
• Facilitates understanding of differing viewpoints.
• Enables consensus through direct interaction.

• Risk of dominant voices influencing decisions.
• Requires effective facilitation.
• Logistically complex and time-consuming.

• COMET Handbook – for core outcome set development
• GRADE – for guideline panels
• Clearly report:
  1. Participant selection
  2. Evidence used
  3. Consensus criteria
  4. Outcomes

See also: Consensus Methodology | Delphi Method | RAND/UCLA Method