gms | German Medical Science

G-I-N Conference 2012

Guidelines International Network

22.08 - 25.08.2012, Berlin

Strategies for updating clinical practice guidelines: feasibility and efficiency

Meeting Abstract

  • L. Martínez García - Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
  • E. García Álvarez - GuíaSalud-Aragon Institute of Health Sciences, Zaragoza, Spain
  • J. Gracia - Agencia Laín Entralgo. Health Technology Assessment Unit (UETS), Madrid, Spain
  • R.B. Haynes - McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
  • A. Kotzeva - Catalan Agency for Health Information, Assessment and Quality (CAHIAQ), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain
  • J. Lawson - McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
  • T. Mejuto Martí - Axencia de Avaliación de Tecnoloxías Sanitarias de Galicia (avalia-t), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
  • T. Navarro - McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
  • I. Solà - Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain
  • P. Alonso-Coello - Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain

Guidelines International Network. G-I-N Conference 2012. Berlin, 22.-25.08.2012. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2012. DocP044

doi: 10.3205/12gin156, urn:nbn:de:0183-12gin1569

Published: July 10, 2012

© 2012 Martínez García et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.


Outline

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Background: Little is known about the efficiency of search strategies to update Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs).

Objectives: To compare alternative search strategies with the standard exhaustive search.

Methods: We have randomly selected a sample of recommendations from four CPGs (Management of Major Depression, Prevention and Treatment of Obesity, Prevention of Stroke, Prostate Cancer Treatment) from the CPGs National Program in Spain. A search strategy in McMasterPLUS (http://hiru.mcmaster.ca/hiru/HIRU_McMaster_PLUS_Projects.aspx), and a search strategy in MEDLINE trough PubMed Clinical Queries have been compared to an exhaustive search (gold standard). We will determine sensitivity, specificity, precision, and accuracy.

Results: We have: 1) Run the three search strategies; 2) Screened reference pertinence (according to the topic of interest, study design and publication type), 3) Matched the references with recommendations; 4) Surveyed clinicians and methodologists to check their relevance, and to identify key references (that modify a recommendation). Finally we will evaluate the level of agreement between the three search strategies.

Discussion: Traditional methods of updating through exhaustive search strategy are laborious and expensive. Alternative methods, such as highly sensitive and specific search filters, may help.

Implications for guidelines developers/users: Our results will inform guideline developers about the feasibility and efficiency of several search strategies to maintain the validity of CPGs. Our results could have major implications for a more efficient use of resources in the CPG arena.