Sage Otolaryngology

As defined by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), clinical practice guidelines are "statements that include recommendations to optimize patient care that are informed by a systematic review of the evidence and an assessment of the benefits and harms of alternative care options."  In crafting their recent standards for trustworthy guidelines, the IOM repeatedly referenced the AAO-HNS manual discussed in this podcast as an example of best practice.  This third edition of the manual builds upon prior editions (from 2006 and 2009) with new material that includes standards for trustworthy guidelines, updated evidence levels, increased patient and public involvement, assessing confidence in the evidence, documenting differences of opinion, managing conflict of interest, and using computerized decision support for crafting actionable recommendations.  The participants discuss unique features of the manual, the preeminent role of action statement profiles in promoting transparency, and how guideline users and developers