title: The technology assessment and practice guidelines forum. A modified group judgment method.
abstract: This article describes a new group-judgment process, modified from the consensus development approach of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. It is called the "forum" method, a shorthand term for "technology assessment and practice guidelines forum." This approach is aimed at (a) describing the current state of knowledge of the technology under study; (b) developing practice guidelines for the use of the technology; and (c) providing information for insurers, consumers, policymakers, and others. A pilot study was conducted focusing on total parenteral nutrition. The validity of the process and of the recommendations and their acceptability were evaluated in a survey of participants and a selected group of nonparticipants. Based on the survey results, the forum method appears to be a valuable method for assessing technologies, defining their clinical role, and developing practice guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Georgetown University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
mesh_terms: D015975:Consensus Development Conferences, NIH as Topic; D003625:Data Collection; D003657:Decision Making; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States