This post courtesy of Anne Taylor-Vaisey:
From the September 17 BMJ:
Developing clinical guidelines: a challenge to current methods, Rosalind Raine, Colin Sanderson, Nick Black
BMJ 2005:631-633, doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7517.631
Current methods for producing clinical guidelines are cumbersome and not always reliable. Could a more streamlined approach improve coverage and make decisions more transparent?
Summary points
The translation of research evidence into guidelines has barely been considered
Formal consensus methods used to develop guidelines lack sufficient transparency and reliability, and the process is too cumbersome to be sustainable
A new approach is suggested which makes the goals, reasons for disagreement, and degree of consensus explicit
Inclusion of a survey stage enhances reliability
Meetings of the development group are limited to three to ensure sustainability
