Randomization
BLIND
After round 1, participants were randomly allocated 1:1 to a rating or ranking assessment procedure for the remainder of the Delphi process, which proceeded independently in the study groups. Stratified permuted block randomization was performed without involvement of the researchers by the CHUM Center for the Integration and Analysis of Medical Data (CITADEL), with strata based on panelists’ gender (female, male) and status (clinic patient, faculty patient partner, clinician) to balance the study groups. Participants’ anonymity was maintained throughout the study and panelists were unaware of the experiment. While it was not possible to blind participants to their assigned assessment procedures because of the nature of the interventions, they were kept unaware of the study hypotheses, and there were no interactions between participants allocated to different groups or with the study team. The assessors who evaluated the outcomes were aware of the participant allocation, but they could not influence the classification of panelists’ responses. All quantitative assessments and analyses were conducted without requiring subjective interpretation.