title: Evidence-based medicine, appropriate-use criteria, and sports medicine: how best to develop meaningful treatment guidelines.
abstract: We propose using appropriate-use criteria (AUC) as the methodology of choice for formulating and disseminating evidence-based medicine guidelines in sports medicine and arthroscopy. AUC provide a structured process for integrating findings from the scientific literature with clinical judgment to produce explicit criteria for determining the appropriateness of specific treatments. The use of AUC will enable surgeons to treat patients in a more consistent manner based on expert clinical consensus and evidence-based medicine. This methodology also will ensure that guidelines represent all stakeholders and available evidence.
authors.affiliation: Westchester Orthopedic Associates, White Plains, NY 10604, USA. lfm@woapc.com
authors.forename: Louis F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: McIntyre
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Beach
authors.forename: Laurence D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.forename: Margaret M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Mordin
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mauskopf
authors.forename: Carolyn T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Sweeney
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Copley-Merriman
mesh_terms: D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000592:standards*; D032921:Consensus; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000592:standards*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms / Q000592:standards; D013178:Sports Medicine / Q000592:standards*