Guideline development groups should contain a multidisciplinary panel of experts and key stakeholders to ensure the quality, relevance, and ultimate implementation of resulting recommendations. However, there are few tools in existence to ensure the effective participation of panel members when working to draft guidelines, and preparing panel members with little to no previous experience in guideline development can be an especially daunting task. A new paper published in next month's issue of the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology aims to provide a tool to guide these efforts, with a specific focus on guideline developed using the GRADE framework.
To develop the tool, Piggott and colleagues first established a draft tool that included 61 items based on a previously published systematic review of guideline development handbooks. They then conducted a series of ten key informant interviews comprising both past and prospective guideline development group members to narrow the tool down to three major themes: selection of participants, guideline group process, and tool format. The resulting 33-item Guideline Participant Tool (GPT) was then validated in a survey of 26 guideline group members from various societies including WHO and the American Society of Hematology (ASH). The tool itself breaks the process of guideline participation into three major time windows:
- Before (Preparations): 12 items including clarifying objectives and one's role within the group and familiarizing oneself with the guideline development methodology to be used.
- During (Meetings): 15 items including avoiding undue interruptions, adhering to the specified methodology, and referring to the PICO question at hand as a way to stay on task.
- After (Follow-up): 6 items including maintaining proper confidentiality of information discussed, reviewing meeting minutes to identify any discrepancies in a timely fashion, and assisting with the promotion, dissemination, and evaluation of the guideline as requested.
According to the authors, "Most participants found that the tool is most useful before guideline group meetings explaining what to expect at each phase. Participants thought that the tool was useful beforehand as a reference for orienting themselves to the structure of meetings, understanding the guideline development process, and what might be required of them. Respondents agreed that the tool serves as a reference for them to stay on track with the required tasks and to support structuring the process of guideline development."
The authors go on to suggest that the tool be used as required reading for all group members ahead of their participation on a panel.
Piggott T, Baldeh T, Akl EA, et al. 2021. Supporting effective participation in health guideline development groups: The Guideline Participant Tool. J Clin Epidemiol 130:42-48.
Manuscript available from the publisher's website here.
