Training package for clinical practice guidelines

Clinical practice guidelines represent a set of evidence-based statements that are developed systematically on topics related to clinical care. Their purpose is to support practitioners in making clinical decisions but they also have a role in health policy development. This training package includes content on both developing and adapting clinical practice guidelines. The supplementary materials at the end are for optional further reading.

Key learning objectives include:

understanding the keys steps in developing clinical practice guidelines;

applying critical appraisal criteria to guidelines;

applying a process to adapt guidelines from other countries, regions or settings.

Development of guidelines

The text resource listed below is a key resource that comprehensively outlines the process to developing clinical practice guidelines. The tool and webinar resources are linked and use the same visual to explain the development process in practice.

Topic	Source	Title	Format	Duration	Cost and access
Steps in developing clinical practice guidelines	WHO	WHO handbook for guideline development	Text	4–5 hours	Free, no login required
Steps in developing clinical practice guidelines	Guidelines International Network (GIN)/McMaster University	GIN-McMaster Guideline Development Checklist	Tool	1-2 hours	Free, no login required
Developing and adapting guidelines	WHO PAHO	Introductory Online Course on Developing and Adapting Guidelines Using the GRADE Methodology	Online Course	20-25 hours	Free
Developing guidelines	GRADE centre/McMaster University	GRADE and guidelines development tutorials	YouTube videos (5 videos)	Free
Developing and adapting guidelines	WHO EMRO	Technical Workshop on National Programme for Guideline Development and Adaptation in Egypt – February 2023	Workshop Recording of day 1 Recording of day 2 Recording of day 3 Recording of day 4	19 hours	Free
Developing and adapting guidelines	WHO EMRO	High level workshop on the national guideline development and adaptation for Egypt – November 2022	Recording of workshop – day 1 Recording of workshop – day 2	8.5 hours	Free
GRADE methodology	WHO EMRO	GRADE methodology in supporting decision-making: workshop series	Recording of workshop 1: GRADE methodology Recording of workshop 2: Guideline adaptation process Recording of workshop 3: GRADE CERQual Workshop	8 hours	Free

Supplementary materials

Supplementary materials

All supplementary materials are optional. The quality appraisal resources refer to quality standards that are often used in CPG development – GRADE and CERQual. The other text resource is an academic paper that presents another model for developing guidelines. The tool resource connects to an online tool that supports generation a GRADE Evidence Tables.

Topics	Source	Title	Format	Duration	Cost and access
Quality appraisal	Cochrane Collaboration	GRADE Handbook	Text	3–4 hours	Free, no login required
Quality appraisal	GRADE CERQual	Confidence in the evidence from reviews of qualitative research	Webpage Tutorial	4–5 hours	Free, no login required
Model for developing clinical practice guidelines	Schünemann et al 2016	GRADE Evidence to Decision (EtD) frameworks for adoption, adaptation, and de novo development of trustworthy recommendations: GRADE-ADOLOPMENT	Text	1 hour	Free, no login required
GRADE evidence tables	GRADEpro - GDT	Guideline Development Tool	Tool	-	An upgraded membership is available for a fee.
Implementation of evidence-based practices	Evidence-based behavioral practice	Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices	Online module	1.5 hour	–
Stakeholder dialogue	Evidence-based behavioral practice	Stakeholder Dialogue about Evidence Based Practice	Online module	1.5 hour	–
Shared decision-making	Evidence-based behavioral practice	Shared Decision-Making with Individual Clients	Online module	1.5 hour	–
WHO definition of guidelines, guidelines anatomy, characteristics of good guideline recommendation	McMaster University GRADE Centre	WHO Guidelines and GRADE: Overview of trustworthy guideline development (Module 1)	A series of YouTube Videos on WHO Guidelines and GRADE	30 minutes	–
Types of guidelines, how it is done, what the rules are followed	McMaster University GRADE Centre	WHO Guidelines and GRADE: Overview of practical issues in WHO guideline development (Module 2)	A series of YouTube Videos on WHO Guidelines and GRADE	30 minutes	–
Levels and certainty of evidence, what is GRADE? how to communicate certainty and effect sizes	McMaster University GRADE Centre	WHO Guidelines and GRADE: GRADE - Assessing the certainty of evidence (Module 3)	A series of YouTube Videos on WHO Guidelines and GRADE	30 minutes	–
Evidence decision framework, types of evidence decision framework, final recommendation	McMaster University GRADE Centre	WHO Guidelines and GRADE: GRADE - From Evidence to Recommendations and Decisions (Module 4)	A series of YouTube Videos on WHO Guidelines and GRADE	30 minutes	–
Why adapting guidelines, what is guideline adaptation and adoption	McMaster University GRADE Centre	WHO Guidelines and GRADE: Guideline Adaptation - GRADE Adolopment Overview (Module 5)	A series of YouTube Videos on WHO Guidelines and GRADE	30 minutes	–
The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE)	AGREE Research Trust	AGREE Research Trust	Website
How modelling work informs guidelines and health policy	Guideline International Networks	Using Modeling for Guideline Development	Video	1.5 hour	Free
Cultivating collaboration between clinical practice guideline developers and health technology assessment producers.	Guideline International Networks	Exploring the Synergy Between Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and Guideline Communities	Webinar	1 hour	Free
Introduction to GRADE-CERQual	Cochrane collaboration	The GRADE-CERQual approach	Webinar	1 hour	Free