Article type
Abstract
Background: Clinical practice guidelines are mainly developed either under the auspices and with the resources of scientific medical societies or by national scientific institutions. In Germany, the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) provides methodological guidance and operates the quality-assured German guideline registry. The AWMF has been calling for independent financial support for evidence-based guidelines for more than two decades. In 2020, this support was established by law in the German Social Code Book. In this context, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMH) can commission the German HTA agency, the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), to provide evidence reports on specific clinical / PICO questions within the development of guidelines by the scientific medical societies.
Objectives: To describe the organizational and methodological approach to supporting guideline groups through IQWiG evidence reports and to highlight successes and challenges.
Methods: The AWMF, in dialogue with its member societies, proposes guideline topics and questions to the FMH. IQWiG communicates with guideline coordinators regarding critical outcomes and the specification of PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) elements before working on the evidence reports.
Results: Since 2020, IQWiG has completed 46 evidence reports for 10 guideline groups, covering therapeutic and diagnostic questions from different medical disciplines.
The main challenges were
- Identification of suitable guideline projects
- Mutual understanding of clinical and methodological aspects, with guideline authors needing methodological training/experience and IQWiG needing knowledge of clinical practice.
- Timely publication of the guideline, so that evidence reports are up-to-date.
Challenges were overcome by a flexible application process and the provision of methodological support and individual advice to guideline groups by both institutions, IQWiG and AWMF. This includes aligning guideline development to the work on evidence reports to ensure that questions not addressed by IQWiG are addressed by the guideline group in a timely manner.
Conclusions: The provision of methodological support to guideline authors by a national HTA agency in cooperation with the guidance issuing umbrella scientific medical organization has been well received and could serve as an example for other countries.
Objectives: To describe the organizational and methodological approach to supporting guideline groups through IQWiG evidence reports and to highlight successes and challenges.
Methods: The AWMF, in dialogue with its member societies, proposes guideline topics and questions to the FMH. IQWiG communicates with guideline coordinators regarding critical outcomes and the specification of PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) elements before working on the evidence reports.
Results: Since 2020, IQWiG has completed 46 evidence reports for 10 guideline groups, covering therapeutic and diagnostic questions from different medical disciplines.
The main challenges were
- Identification of suitable guideline projects
- Mutual understanding of clinical and methodological aspects, with guideline authors needing methodological training/experience and IQWiG needing knowledge of clinical practice.
- Timely publication of the guideline, so that evidence reports are up-to-date.
Challenges were overcome by a flexible application process and the provision of methodological support and individual advice to guideline groups by both institutions, IQWiG and AWMF. This includes aligning guideline development to the work on evidence reports to ensure that questions not addressed by IQWiG are addressed by the guideline group in a timely manner.
Conclusions: The provision of methodological support to guideline authors by a national HTA agency in cooperation with the guidance issuing umbrella scientific medical organization has been well received and could serve as an example for other countries.