Delphi and Analytic hierarchy process for the construction of a risk assessment index system for post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome

Background:Shoulder-hand syndrome(SHS)is one of the common complications after stroke,which is difficult to cure once it occurs.Early risk identification is an effective measure to prevent and treat SHS,but there is no effective tool to assess the risk assessment of SHS.Objective:To develop a validated tool to assess the risk of SHS occurrence after stroke.Methods:This was an observational study with a 3-step process:(1)Literature review to establish initial indicators;(2)Application of a modified Delphi method for two rounds of correspondence,with final indicators obtained by modifying each round based on expert opinion;(3)Application of hierarchical analysis to determine the weights of each indicator.Results:The initial literature review constructed4 primary indicators and 24 secondary indicators;after the first round of Delphi,a total of 10 secondary indicators were deleted and 6 secondary indicators were added,and the final indicators included 3 primary indicators and 15 secondary indicators,and in the second round,consensus was reached;by AHP analysis,the highest weight was given to existing risk factors(0.5584),followed by relevant medical history(0.3196);lastly,demographic factors(0.1220),and the scores of other secondary indicators met the requirements.Conclusion:This study establishes and constructs a post-stroke SHS risk assessment tool,which provides a basis for early identification of SHS and early intervention.Meanwhile,this study provides a methodological reference for the development of other indicatorssets.