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Table 4 Comparison of rapid guidelines methods used by WHO, NICE and CDC

From: Development of rapid guidelines: 1. Systematic survey of current practices and methods

Organisation

WHO

NICE

CDC

Source document (date)

Handbook for Guideline Development (2014)

Process and Methods Guide: The Guidelines Manual (2012)

Guidelines and Recommendations: A CDC Primer (2012)

Nomenclature

Rapid advice guidelines

Short clinical guidelines

Interim guidance

Definition

Evidence-informed guidelines produced within 1–3 months providing global leadership and timely guidance in response to emergencies or to an urgent need

Guidelines that address only part of a care pathway, allowing rapid development of guidance on aspects of care for which the NHS requires urgent advice

Interim guidance is developed in response to emergencies or to rapid increases in cases of a disease or condition

Timeframe (rapid guidelines)

1–3 months

11–13 months

Not reported

Timeframe (standard guidelines)

6 months to 2 years

18–24 months

Not reported

Shortcuts identified in the methods

Limiting the scope of the review, the outcomes, add more resources to have more reviewers working in parallel; streamlining the process

If necessary, use methods for timely delivery of evidence synthesis

Focused scope: 3–6 review questions; topics for health economic analysis are identified during the scoping phase; shorter period for consultation process: 4 weeks

Objective documents, usually with less than three pages, not describing methodological issues

Might not need to be vetted internally

  1. CDC United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NICE National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, WHO World Health Organization; [1, 54, 56]