title: Using a wiki platform to promote guidelines internationally and maintain their currency: evidence-based guidelines for the nutritional management of adult patients with head and neck cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The present study describes the development of evidence-based practice guidelines for the nutritional management of adult patients with head and neck cancer using a wiki platform to enable wide international stakeholder consultation and maintain currency.
  
  
  METHODS
  A dietitian steering committee and a multidisciplinary steering committee were established for consultation. Traditional methods of evidence-based guideline development were utilised to perform the literature review, assess the evidence and produce a draft document. This was transferred to a wiki platform for stakeholder consultation and international endorsement processes in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Data were collected on website traffic utilising Google Analytics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In addition to broad stakeholder consultation through the steering committees, an additional twenty comments were received via the wiki by twelve individuals covering six different professions from three different countries, compared to four comments by e-mail. The guidelines were subsequently endorsed by the dietetic associations of Australia, New Zealand and the UK. During a 4-month period monitoring the use of the guidelines, there were 2303 page views to the landing page from 33 countries. The average number of pages accessed per visit was five and the duration of time spent on the website was approximately 6 min.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using a wiki platform for guideline development and dissemination is a successful method for producing high-quality resources that can undergo wide international stakeholder review and include open public consultation. This can replace conventional methods whereby guidelines can quickly become outdated.
authors: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. teresa_brown@health.qld.gov.au
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Brown
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Findlay
authors: J
authors: J
authors: von Dincklage
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Davidson
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Hill
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Isenring
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Talwar
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Bell
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Kiss
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Kurmis
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Loeliger
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Sandison
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Taylor
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Bauer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000639:trends; D032921:Consensus; D004046:Dietetics / Q000639:trends; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D007391:International Cooperation; D020407:Internet; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009520:New Zealand; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D018529:Nutritional Support / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012958:Societies, Scientific; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom