9.7.1 NICE and SIGN Guidelines


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Describes the Process for Developing NICE and SIGN Guidelines

The development of clinical guidelines is a complex and iterative process that aims to provide healthcare professionals with evidence-based recommendations for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of various medical conditions. In the UK, two major organizations responsible for producing such guidelines are the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN). Here is an overview of the process for developing guidelines by NICE and SIGN.

NICE guidelines development process:

  1. Topic Selection: NICE identifies the need for a guideline by conducting a needs assessment, which includes reviewing the available evidence and stakeholder engagement.
  2. Scoping: A scoping document is developed to outline the scope and objectives of the guideline, and to identify key questions to be addressed.
  3. Evidence Review: Systematic reviews of the available evidence are conducted to answer the key questions identified in the scoping document.
  4. Draft Guideline: A draft guideline is developed based on the evidence review and input from stakeholders.
  5. Consultation: The draft guideline is published for consultation, and feedback is gathered from stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, patients, and the public.
  6. Final Guideline: The guideline is revised based on feedback from the consultation and approved by the NICE Guideline Committee before publication.

SIGN guidelines development process:

  1. Topic Selection: SIGN identifies topics for guideline development based on input from stakeholders, including healthcare professionals and patient groups.
  2. Scoping: A scoping document is developed to identify the scope and objectives of the guideline.
  3. Evidence Review: Systematic reviews of the available evidence are conducted to answer the key questions identified in the scoping document.
  4. Draft Guideline: A draft guideline is developed based on the evidence review and input from stakeholders.
  5. Consultation: The draft guideline is published for consultation, and feedback is gathered from stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, patients, and the public.
  6. Final Guideline: The guideline is revised based on feedback from the consultation and approved by the SIGN Council before publication.

Process of developing NICE and SIGN guidelines:

CriteriaNICE GuidelinesSIGN Guidelines
Scope and remitNICE develops guidelines for health and social care in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.SIGN develops guidelines for the NHS in Scotland.
Topic identificationTopics are identified by NICE in collaboration with the Department of Health and Social Care and other stakeholders.Topics are identified by SIGN in collaboration with the Scottish Government and other stakeholders.
ScopingScoping is conducted to determine the focus and boundaries of the guideline.Scoping is conducted to determine the focus and boundaries of the guideline.
Evidence reviewSystematic reviews and other forms of evidence synthesis are conducted to identify and assess relevant evidence.Systematic reviews and other forms of evidence synthesis are conducted to identify and assess relevant evidence.
Drafting recommendationsRecommendations are drafted by a Guideline Development Group (GDG) comprising healthcare professionals, patients and carers, and technical experts.Recommendations are drafted by a Guideline Development Group (GDG) comprising healthcare professionals, patients and carers, and technical experts.
Consultation and stakeholder engagementDraft recommendations are subject to public consultation and stakeholder engagement to ensure the views of all interested parties are taken into account.Draft recommendations are subject to public consultation and stakeholder engagement to ensure the views of all interested parties are taken into account.
Approval and publicationFinal recommendations are approved by NICE and published on the NICE website.Final recommendations are approved by SIGN and published on the SIGN website.
Implementation and reviewImplementation tools and resources are developed to support healthcare professionals in implementing the recommendations. NICE monitors the uptake and impact of its guidelines and conducts reviews to update them as new evidence emerges.Implementation tools and resources are developed to support healthcare professionals in implementing the recommendations. SIGN monitors the uptake and impact of its guidelines and conducts reviews to update them as new evidence emerges.

It is important to note that the process of developing guidelines is constantly evolving and may vary depending on the organization and topic at hand. Nonetheless, these processes provide a framework for ensuring that guidelines are evidence-based, transparent, and accessible to healthcare professionals and patients.

References:

  1. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2021). How we develop NICE guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.nice.org.uk/about/what-we-do/our-programmes/nice-guidance/nice-guidelines/how-we-develop-nice-guidelines
  2. Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. (2021). SIGN methodology. Retrieved from https://www.sign.ac.uk/sign-methodology/