Comparison of methods currently used by major international guideline-producing bodies
| Guideline group | Topic selection | Conflicts of interest | Members | Stakeholder involvement | Review process | Method for summarizing evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHO9 | Topics recommended internally by WHO departments | Declared and published | Different group for each guideline Groups are multidisciplinary and include content experts, methodologists and end users; consumer involvement is encouraged | Review documents and participate in guideline work group | Research questions (experts and end users) Systematic review protocol and evidence tables (experts) Guidelines (experts and organizational reviewers) | GRADE |
| US Preventive Services Task Force8 | Topics nominated by the public, task force members and stakeholders | Declared, not published | Multidisciplinary panel of 16 health-related disciplines, nominated for 4-year term No consumers in the guideline work group | Review and disseminate documents Briefing webinars offered on all guidelines New methods of stakeholder involvement are being tested | Public comment on research plans, evidence review, guidelines | Recommendations graded as A, B, C or D reflecting whether the service is recommended “I” statements used if evidence is insufficient to make a recommendation |
| National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence10 | Topics selected by Department of Health but based on input from clinicians and public | Declared and published | Clinical group differs for each guideline; technical members (search, research, synthesis) are constant Groups include health professionals, patient and caregiver representatives and registered stakeholders | Involved in all steps throughout the process and as members of guideline work group Dissemination | Public consultation, peer review | Modified GRADE Recommendations are not rated as strong or weak |
| Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care | Topics nominated by public, task force members, stakeholders, literature review | Declared and posted on website | Multidisciplinary panel of 14 methodologic, primary care and guideline experts, nominated for 3-year term Subset of a minimum of 3 task force members in each guideline work group No consumers in guideline work group | Topic selection, review of documents | Research question Systematic review protocol Evidence report and guidelines reviewed by experts, and subject-matter and generalist organizations | GRADE |
Note: GRADE = Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation, WHO = World Health Organization.