profession

New rules toughen evidence for medical guideline recommendations

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted June 24, 2013

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is tightening the standards for the inclusion of clinical guidelines in its National Guideline Clearinghouse.

Effective in June 2014, all guidelines must be based on a systematic review of the evidence, which includes an explanation of the search strategy, description of the study selection criteria, a synthesis of evidence through tables and an explanation of how the evidence informs practice recommendations. Guidelines also must include an assessment of the benefits and harms of the guideline recommendations as well as alternative care options, the agency said (link).

The changes come as the result of a March 2011 Institute of Medicine report that said that “most guidelines used today suffer from shortcomings in development” (link).

Several IOM recommendations did not make it into the AHRQ clearinghouse’s new standards. For example, the IOM said guideline committees should disclose how they were funded and that a majority of guideline-writing panel members should be free from financial conflicts of interest. The AHRQ standards for inclusion in the clearinghouse do not touch on those areas. There are more than 2,700 guidelines in the National Guideline Clearinghouse.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn