Article type
Abstract
Background: Ensuring health equity is a worldwide imperative in guideline development. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) Working Group identified nine of the eighteen stages in the guideline development process, as outlined in the Guidelines International Network (GIN)-McMaster Guideline Development Checklist (GDC), where considerations of health equity are pertinent. However, given the dynamic nature of health equity in guideline development, several additional areas in the GIN-McMaster GDC where equity considerations have become additionally relevant. A recent scoping review identified fragmented guidance highlighting twelve topics where incorporating health equity could be considered. Additional topics might be additionally relevant to health equity but are not yet known.
Objectives: Propose guiding principles for the development of guidelines while integrating equity.
Methods: This GDC is being developed through three phases. 1) We drafted an extension of the GDC to ensure that guideline developers optimally integrate health equity into guideline development building on guidance identified by the GRADE Working Group. This draft extension was developed through a series of five meetings. 2) We reviewed guideline handbooks for guidance aimed at improving health equity. 3) surveyed guideline developers, people with lived experiences of health inequities and members of the public. The findings of these studies will be triangulated to finalize the extension items. These principles will be applied to the development of the Canadian Post-COVID Condition (CAN-PCC) guidelines.
Results: The proposed extension includes 21 additional items that will prompt guideline developers to consider factors important to health equity reporting and development from the outset of guideline planning. The guideline handbook review and the survey are currently underway, and final checklist will be available soon. The CAN-PCC Equity Oversight Committee is operationalizing these principles in the development of the CAN-PCC guidelines by providing practical advice to the guideline development group.
Conclusions: Our project aims to identify principles that guideline developers can follow to integrate equity in guideline development while ensuring a standardized, rigorous, and transparent process.
Objectives: Propose guiding principles for the development of guidelines while integrating equity.
Methods: This GDC is being developed through three phases. 1) We drafted an extension of the GDC to ensure that guideline developers optimally integrate health equity into guideline development building on guidance identified by the GRADE Working Group. This draft extension was developed through a series of five meetings. 2) We reviewed guideline handbooks for guidance aimed at improving health equity. 3) surveyed guideline developers, people with lived experiences of health inequities and members of the public. The findings of these studies will be triangulated to finalize the extension items. These principles will be applied to the development of the Canadian Post-COVID Condition (CAN-PCC) guidelines.
Results: The proposed extension includes 21 additional items that will prompt guideline developers to consider factors important to health equity reporting and development from the outset of guideline planning. The guideline handbook review and the survey are currently underway, and final checklist will be available soon. The CAN-PCC Equity Oversight Committee is operationalizing these principles in the development of the CAN-PCC guidelines by providing practical advice to the guideline development group.
Conclusions: Our project aims to identify principles that guideline developers can follow to integrate equity in guideline development while ensuring a standardized, rigorous, and transparent process.