title: Guideline methodology of the Society for Vascular Surgery including the experience with the GRADE framework.
abstract: In 2006, the Society for Vascular Surgery began development of clinical practice guidelines to assist clinicians in the process of decision making. The Society selects clinical questions of high impact and evaluates the totality of evidence by identifying and conducting rigorous systematic reviews. Multidisciplinary committees follow the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework (GRADE), standard consensus, and voting procedures. Factors other than evidence, including patients' values and preferences and the availability of surgical expertise, are also considered. We describe, in the context of cumulative 4-years' experience, the methods and rigor of current procedures adopted by the Society for Vascular Surgery in developing practice guidelines. We also discuss potential future efforts needed to maximize the quality, adoption, and application of the clinical recommendations.
authors.affiliation: Knowledge and Encounter Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. murad.mohammad@mayo.edu
authors.forename: Mohammad Hassan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Murad
authors.forename: Victor M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Montori
authors.forename: Anton N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Sidawy
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ascher
authors.forename: Mark H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Meissner
authors.forename: Elliot L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Chaikof
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gloviczki
mesh_terms: D026683:Advisory Committees; D002983:Clinical Competence; D032921:Consensus; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D057240:Patient Preference; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016730:Program Development; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000592:standards*