Article type
Abstract
Background: Following best practice in guideline development facilitates the production of high-quality guidelines that improve health outcomes, healthcare practices, and optimize resources. Best practice in guideline development involves the active participation of multidisciplinary experts, user audiences, and patients with lived experiences, working synergistically. However, navigating this collaborative process can be challenging. The Guidelines International Network (GIN) Guidelines Collaboration Working Group (GCWG) aims to develop tools and resources to facilitate successful collaboration in guideline development among guideline developers and organizations.
Objectives: This study aimed to elucidate facilitators and barriers to successful collaborative guideline development through the qualitative analysis of guideline developer experiences and insights.
Methods: A purposeful sampling approach was used to recruit participants with experience or affiliations in collaborative guideline development. Participants completed a pre-interview questionnaire and took part in semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were coded using inductive thematic analysis methodology.
Results: The thematic analysis of guideline developer interviews (n=14) identified three interconnected theme sets and secondary sub-themes. Misalignment of collaboration purpose and scope, incongruence of guideline development methodologies, and perception that collaborations require more time and effort were identified barriers. Technologies and templates that support collaborative work, initial scoping and planning among collaborators, organizational guideline topic prioritization, established culture of collaboration, and recognizing collaboration benefits were identified as facilitators. Cross-cutting themes, which presented as both facilitators and barriers, included past collaborative experiences, publication of completed work, and levels of knowledge and training among collaborators.
Conclusions: Facilitators and barriers to collaborative guideline development are interconnected. Increasing understanding of the factors that impede or promote successful collaboration in guideline development is a critical step to develop strategies to overcome identified challenges. This study can be used to bolster collaborative efforts by encouraging alignment in processes, methodology, and expectations, as well as promoting community building with collective knowledge and resource sharing. These findings can facilitate more successful guideline developer collaborations across multiple disciplines, perspectives, and domains, to support the development of more robust and holistic guidelines.
Objectives: This study aimed to elucidate facilitators and barriers to successful collaborative guideline development through the qualitative analysis of guideline developer experiences and insights.
Methods: A purposeful sampling approach was used to recruit participants with experience or affiliations in collaborative guideline development. Participants completed a pre-interview questionnaire and took part in semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were coded using inductive thematic analysis methodology.
Results: The thematic analysis of guideline developer interviews (n=14) identified three interconnected theme sets and secondary sub-themes. Misalignment of collaboration purpose and scope, incongruence of guideline development methodologies, and perception that collaborations require more time and effort were identified barriers. Technologies and templates that support collaborative work, initial scoping and planning among collaborators, organizational guideline topic prioritization, established culture of collaboration, and recognizing collaboration benefits were identified as facilitators. Cross-cutting themes, which presented as both facilitators and barriers, included past collaborative experiences, publication of completed work, and levels of knowledge and training among collaborators.
Conclusions: Facilitators and barriers to collaborative guideline development are interconnected. Increasing understanding of the factors that impede or promote successful collaboration in guideline development is a critical step to develop strategies to overcome identified challenges. This study can be used to bolster collaborative efforts by encouraging alignment in processes, methodology, and expectations, as well as promoting community building with collective knowledge and resource sharing. These findings can facilitate more successful guideline developer collaborations across multiple disciplines, perspectives, and domains, to support the development of more robust and holistic guidelines.