A Delphi-Based Consensus Study for the Standardization of Diagnostic Terminology in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has long occupied a central position in healthcare, both within China and beyond, particularly in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of complex conditions. Nevertheless, its global dissemination has been hindered by persistent inconsistencies in the English translation of diagnostic terminology, which undermine cross-cultural communication and restrict TCM’s integration into the international medical discourse. To address this challenge, the present study applied the Delphi method to establish a consensus-based framework for the standardization of English translations of TCM diagnostic terms. A purposively selected panel comprising 15 experts in TCM globally, linguistics, and translation studies engaged in three iterative Delphi rounds, systematically evaluating the accuracy, appropriateness, and communicative effectiveness of candidate terms through structured questionnaires. Consensus levels were measured using the Content Validity Index (CVI) and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (W). The iterative process yielded progressively stronger agreement across rounds, ultimately producing a standardized set of 120 diagnostic terms characterized by high expert consensus. These results underscore the utility of the Delphi method as a rigorous and systematic approach to terminology standardization in TCM, offering a practical model for bridging linguistic and cultural divides and providing a transferable framework applicable to other specialized medical fields.