The American Gastroenterological Association reaffirmed its commitment to transparency in guideline creation.
Here's what you should know:
1, AGA Institute Clinical Guidelines Committee Chair-Elect Shahnaz Sultan, MD, released a statement on behalf of the society, reaffirming the society's commitment to "maintain a high level of methodologic rigor through the utilization of an evidence-based approach that is very transparent."
2. Dr. Sultan urged individuals to examine guidelines to see if they follow the Academy of Medicine's standards for trustworthy clinical guidelines.
3. Guidelines that follow the standards are:
- Based on a systematic review
- Transparent
- Have a "rigorous" conflict of interest system in place
- Involve a Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation System-trained
- methodologist
- Concise
- Actionable
4. AGA has several policies in line to minimize bias. The Guideline Development Group Chair has to be conflict-of-interest free to take the position, and many members on the committee are also conflict-of-interest free.
5. Dr. Sultan said in a statement, "Our goal is to produce the most trustworthy, actionable and evidence-based guidelines possible for our members."