This section provides links to high quality, recent resources to guide users  to a range of information for those interested in the planning, development, implementation, updating and evaluation of clinical practice guidelines, especially from an international perspective. In addition, it includes:

  • our curated collection of evidence and guidance resources for Covid-19
  • papers and presentations from the GIN Board,  GIN Trustees and our working groups

GIN Publications

Publications by the GIN Board of Trustees and GIN Working Groups

From time to time, the Board receives questions from members to provide guidance in difficult or contentious areas. Where a need for specific guidance is established, the Board, or a subset of Trustees will collaborate to write a paper on the topic to address the issue. Members of our working groups also collaborate to write and publish papers. These papers can be found below.

July 2023

Trends in guideline implementation: an updated scoping review Implementation Science – Implementation Working Group

April 2023

Development of an international glossary for clinical guidelines collaboration Journal of Clinical Epidemiology158, 84-91 – Guidelines Collaboration Working Group

July 2022

Trends in guideline implementation: an updated scoping review | Implementation Science | Full Text (biomedcentral.com) – Implementation Working Group

March 2022
A Reporting Tool for Adapted Guidelines in Health Care: The RIGHT-Ad@pt Checklist | Annals of Internal Medicine (acpjournals.org) – Adaptation Working Group

December 2021

Guideline registries and libraries: a mixed-methods approach identified issues to be addressed with content. Guideline registries and libraries must address the tension between comprehensiveness, quality assurance and ease of use – Sara Twaddle, Elaine Harrow, Duncan Service, Pablo Alonso-Coello, Ina Kopp, Zac Munn. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.

A memorandum of understanding has facilitated guideline development involving collaborating groups

Development of guidelines for clinical practice or public health is a time- and resource-intensive process.[1] In many cases, collaboration between different groups can be beneficial from both individual and group perspectives, and may facilitate guideline development or an adaptation.1, [2–4] Groups2 with complementary areas of competence may share expertise and resources to speed guideline creation, and to produce a higher quality document. Inclusion of additional groups may also ensure that relevant stakeholders are not inadvertently excluded – Murad Alam, Thomas Getchius, Holger Schunemann, Toju Ogunremi, Rebecca Morgan, on behalf of the GIN Guidelines Collaboration Working Group.

October 2021
From “getting things right” to “getting things right now”: Developing COVID‐19 guidance under time pressure and knowledge uncertainty – Moleman – 2022 – Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice – Wiley Online Library – AID Knowledge Working Group

October 2020

Sanabria AJ, Pardo-Hernandez P,  Ballesteros M, Canelo-Aybar C, McFarlane E, Niño de Guzman E, Penman K, Posso M, Roqué i Figuls M, Selva A, Vernooij RMW, Alonso-Coello P on behalf of GIN Updating Guidelines Working Group and Collaborators. The UpPriority tool was developed to guide the prioritization of clinical guideline questions for updating. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 126, 2020, 80-92,

September 2020

Munn Z, Twaddle S, Service D, Harrow E, Okwen PM, Schünemann H, Vandvik PO. Developing Guidelines Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic. Ann Intern Med. 2020 Sep 15:M20-4907. 

June 2020

Munn Z,  Brandt L,  Kuijpers T; Whittington C, Wiles L, Karge T, on behalf of the G-I-N Tech Working Group. Are systematic review and guideline development tools useful? A Guidelines International Network survey of user preferences. Int J Evid Based Healthc. 2020 Jun 1.

April 2018

Wieringa S, Dreesens D, Forland F, Hulshof C, Lukersmith S, Macbeth F, Shaw B,  van Vliet AK, Zuiderent-Jerak T on behalf of the AID Knowledge Working Group.   Different knowledge, different styles of reasoning: a challenge for guideline development.  BMJ Evid Based Med. 2018 Jun;23(3):87-91

May 2017

Doust J, Vandvik PO, Qaseem A, Mustafa RA, Horvath AR, Frances A, Al-Ansary L, Bossuyt P, Ward RL, Kopp I, Gollogly L, Schunemann H, Glasziou P; Guidelines International Network (G-I-N) Preventing Overdiagnosis Working Group.   Guidance for Modifying the Definition of Diseases; A Checklist .  JAMA Intern Med. 2017 Jul 1;177(7):1020-1025.

January 2016

Nothacker M, Stokes T, Shaw B, Lindsay P, Sipilä R, Follmann M, Kopp I; Guidelines International Network (G-I-N) Performance Measures Working Group. Reporting standards for guideline-based performance measures. Implementation Science 2016, 11:6.

October 2015

Schünemann HJ, Al-Ansary LA, Forland F, Kersten S, Komulainen J, Kopp IB, Macbeth F, Phillips SM, Robbins C, van der Wees P, Qaseem A; Board of Trustees of the Guidelines International Network. G-I-N: Principles for Disclosure of Interests and Management of Conflicts in Guidelines. Ann Intern Med. 2015 Oct 6;163(7):548-53.

April 2012

Qaseem A, Forland F, Macbeth F, Ollenschläger G, Phillips S, van der Wees P; Board of Trustees of the Guidelines International Network.  Guidelines International Network: toward international standards for clinical practice guidelines.   Ann Intern Med. 2012 Apr 3;156(7):525-31.

February 2012

Van der Wees P, Qaseem A, Kaila M,  Ollenschlaeger G, Rosenfeld R, Board of Trustees of the Guidelines International Network (G-I-N).  Prospective systematic review registration: perspective from the Guidelines International Network (G-I-N). Syst Rev. 2012 Feb 9;1:3.

INGUIDE – International Guideline Training & Certification

INGUIDE is a comprehensive, evidence-based and up-to-date training program for anyone involved in the guideline development process. It is the product of a partnership between leaders in the field of guideline development – Guidelines International Network (GIN) , a global network of guideline producing organisations and guideline participants, and world-renowned experts in guideline research, development and implementation at McMaster University’s Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact.

There are four progressive courses from beginner to instructor:

  • Certified Guideline Panel Member
    • Designed for individuals participating as a member of a guideline development group
  • Certified Guideline Methodologist
    • Designed for individuals participating in a guideline development group in the role of an expert methodologist
  • Certified Lead Guideline Developer and Chair
    • Designed for individuals participating in a guideline development group in the role of chair or co-chair
  • Certified INGUIDE Training Instructor
    • Designed for individuals responsible for training prospective guideline development group members, methodologists, or chairs.
  • For addtiional info click here to see a program overview.

Registration fees for all courses are discounted for GIN members. 

Course 1 – GIN Member $148.50Course 1 – Standard $170.50
Course 2 – GIN Member $1,355.75Course 2 – Standard $1,595.00
Course 3 – GIN Member $1,028.50Course 3 – Standard $1,210.00
Course 4 – GIN Member $1,028.50Course 4 – Standard $1,210.00
  • Please note that all prices are in Canadian Dollars and are exclusive of tax.
  • There is an also an additional 15% discount for LMIC delegates.
  • To find out more and to enrol, visit the INGUIDE website.

GIN Webinars

Here you will find a series of GIN webinars, some have been presented centrally, others by our Working Groups, Regional Communities or partners.

To see all of our recordings and keep up to date with our webinars, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

In September 2020, GIN presented a series of four webinars over three days, in place of the 2020 conference, which was postponed due to the pandemic.  This series was named “GIN 2020 – Pit-stop in the Covid-19 marathon for the guideline community”

The webinars were entitled:

  1. Quality of Evidence for guidelines and recommendations
  2. Rapid Guideline Development
  3. Recommendation Mapping
  4. Living Recommendations

View all COVID Pitstop recordings on our YouTube channel.

 Covid-19 webinars

A series of webinars were presented during the period May to August 2020 in response to the global pandemic.

  • Global guidance and local application during the COVID-19 pandemic: best practice for adaptation of guidelines, Aug 19, 2020. You can view the webinar on  YouTube
  • Living Evidence & Guidance for COVID-19; opportunities and challenges for developers, publishers and end-users,  Jul 21, 2020. You can view the webinar on  YouTube
  • AID Knowledge Webinar: COVID-19 – Which crisis? Whose evidence? Robust and inclusive evidence for rapid outbreak guidance, Jun 05, 2020. You can view the webinar on YouTube
  • COVID-19 Pandemic: Navigating Evidence and Guidance in a Crisis May 20, 2020. You can view the webinar on our YouTube Channel.

Working Group & Regional Community Webinars

GIN ANZ

Nov 27, 2020 First nations-led guideline development – supporting prevention and management of Covid-19 in primary healthcare.  A recording of the webinar can be found here.

June 2021, “The Living Guidelines Approach”. A recording of the webinar can be viewed here.

GINAHTA

Jun 29, 2020 Shared learnings and practical guidance on how to cultivate effective collaboration between guideline developers and HTA producers. A recording can be found here.

GIN NA

June 2021 – GIN NA Tools Guideline Panels Decision-Making. View the recording here.

March 2021 – GIN NA & The NY Academy of Medicine -Section on Evidence Based Healthcare – Present E-GAPPS IV: COVID-19 & the Challenge to Guidance: Virtual Conference & Open Space Meeting. View the recording here.

December 2, 2020 North American Bringing Evidence & Guidelines Into the Digital Age Recording of the webinar can viewed here

October 30, 2020 North American Systematic Review Methods Virtual Research Day “North American Systematic Review Methods”

Dec 19, 2019  “GRADE – Exploring the Synergy Between Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and Guideline Communities “

Apr 25, 2019 “GRADE – What’s New, What’s Next”

Apr 11, 2019  “A New Online Approach to Engaging Patients and Caregivers in Guideline Development”

Nov 29, 2018 “The Evidence-to-decision Framework” 

Aug 27, 2018 “Using Modeling for Guideline Development”

Apr 23, 2018 “PRELIMINARY RESEARCH FINDINGS:   “What factors influence guideline panel decision making?”

Mar 27, 2018 “The Philosophy and Approach to Public Comment”

Feb 27, 2018 “Task Exchange: Find A Project Helper”

 Dec 19, 2017 The AGREE Ecosystem – Tools To Support Guideline Development, Reporting And Evaluation”

Nov 08, 2017 Multiple Chronic Conditions: The Balance of Benefits and Harms

Jun 29, 2017 “Guideline Development for Non‐Physician Clinicians” 

May 30, 2017 “U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Methods For Making Recommendations For Diverse Populations”

Dec 12, 2016 What is the ‘Secret Sauce’ in Engaging Stakeholders?’

Aug 09, 2016 Guidelines, Implementation Science, and Where Do We Go From Here?

Jun 21, 2016 A Preview of the National Guidelines Clearinghouse and the National Quality Measures Clearinghouse Websites

Mar 29, 2016 Choosing Wisely® and the Role for Guidelines

Jan 12, 2016 Guidelines International Network: Benefits and Opportunities

Nov 17, 2015 Assessing the Impact of Social Media on Dissemination and Implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines

Sep 30, 2015.Introduction to the Documentation and Appraisal Review Tool (DART) for evaluating the quality of systematic reviews

GRADE

  • May 11, 2016 New Developments In GRADE. A recording of the webinar can be viewed here.
  • Apr 13, 2016 GRADE Evidence to Decision Frameworks: Experience and use for Guideline Adaptation and Adoption. A recording can be viewed here.

Guideline Tools

This section contains links to tools of relevance to those developing, adapting, updating, implementing and appraising clinical guidelines which are free to use. If you wish to suggest additional tools to be included, please contact Joanne Georgeson, the GIN Membership Manager.

1. Checklists for Guidelines

GIN/McMaster Guideline Checklist

The Guideline Development Checklist project is a partnership between the Guidelines International Network (GIN) and McMaster University. The checklist is designed to serve as an interactive resource, with links to learning tools and training materials, for those interested in beginning, enhancing or evaluating their guideline development process. Its use will support the development and implementation of trustworthy guidelines. 

The checklist is also available in Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Spanish and Thai versions.

The online and pdf versions of the checklist, as well as a glossary of terms and tutorials, are available on the checklist website here

CheckUp: Checklist for the Reporting of Updated Guidelines

The Checklist for the Reporting of Updated Guidelines (CheckUp)  is the result of a partnership of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre (www.cochrane.org), the AGREE Collaboration (www.agreetrust.org), and the GIN Updating Guidelines Working Group. CheckUp can be used to evaluate the completeness of reporting in updated guidelines and as a tool to inform guideline developers about reporting requirements.  Adherence to CheckUp will enhance the comprehensiveness and transparency of clinical guideline updating for the benefit of patients and the public, health care professionals, and other relevant stakeholders.  CheckUp is available here

The UpPriority Tool

The UpPriority tool was developed by the GIN Updating Guidelines Working Group and Collaborators. The tool aims to standardise the prioritisation processes when updating clinical guidelines, through consideration of six items. UpPriority is available here.

2. GIN Guideline Collaboration Toolkit

The GIN Guideline Collaborations Working Group with support from McMaster University is pleased to present a repository of tools and resources for organisations interested in collaborating on the development of guidelines.

Our mission is to identify and facilitate strategies for successful collaborations among guideline developers in the development of evidence-based recommendations. In response to a formal needs assessment and several listening sessions, this toolkit presents several resources including a glossary with definitions of commonly used terms in guideline collaboration and development, a template for establishing a formal memorandum of understanding, and an FAQ of commonly asked questions.

We welcome feedback on the materials and suggestions for additional resources using the contact information at the bottom of the page.

For more information and to view all resources and publications, please click here.

3. Guideline appraisal tools

The AGREE Instrument

The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) Instrument evaluates the process of practice guideline development and the quality of reporting. AGREE II, launched in 2010, is the international tool for the assessment of practice guidelines and comprises of 23 items organised into the original 6 quality domains. AGREE II is available in 20 languages.

More information on AGREE, the instrument and translations are available here

GLIA (Guideline Implementability Appraisal)

The objective of GLIA is to provide a tool for the appraisal of the implementability of clinical guidelines. Implementability refers to a set of guideline characteristics that predict potential challenges to effective implementation. In addition to a series of questions that inquire about global aspects of a guideline’s implementability, the instrument explores 8 dimensions of individual recommendations. The tool was updated in 2011 and is available here

4. Adaptation tools

The ADAPTE Manual and Resource Toolkit for guideline adaptation

The ADAPTE Collaboration has developed a systematic approach for the adaptation of guidelines produced for the use in one cultural and organisational context to be used in a different cultural and organisational context. The ADAPTE Toolkit is freely available for use, however, charges may be levied by some organisations for use of their guideline, which may be subject to copyright.  The ADAPTE Resource Toolkit for Guideline Adaptation is available below in English, Portuguese, and Turkish

The Reporting Tool for Adapted Guidelines in Health Care – the RIGHT-Ad@pt checklist

Provides reporting guidance for adapted guidelines, covering the adaptation process and the adapted recommendations. The publication and full details can be viewed here: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M21-4352

5. Guideline Implementation

GIN Public Toolkit

The GIN Public Working Group updated the original toolkit (first produced in 2012) in 2021, when the fully digital version was launched. Further updates have since been made and are noted below. Ongoing work is taking place to translate the chapters into French – they are being added as each chapter is completed.

Click here to visit the full online version of the toolkit.

GIN Presentations

This section contains key presentations given by GIN Trustees about the work of GIN

  • Meeting: International Scientific and Practice Conference. ‘ Health technology assessment: perspectives of integration in the Commonwealth of Independent States’  2019
    Presentation title: Trustworthy guidelines in the Evidence Ecosystem, for Russia moving forward?         
    Presented by: Per Vandvik, GIN Trustee
    Trustworthy guidelines in the Evidence Ecosystem
  • Meeting: SAGE Summit 2016 
    Presentation title: The Clinical Guidance Landscape in Africa: Introducing the African G-I-N Community 
    Presented by: Okwen Patrick Mbah, GIN Trustee
    The Clinical Guidance Landscape in Africa

Covid-19 Evidence Resources

Our aim is to provide the most comprehensive overview of available resources for our members and to avoid duplicating efforts, especially as evidence in this area is constantly under review and being updated.  It is for members and guests to select the most relevant resources for their setting.

If your organisation has any relevant resources, especially in languages other than English, please email the links and a short description to covid-19@g-i-n.net

Evidence Resources

Rapid Reviews

Evidence maps

Recommendation Maps

Databases of studies

 Journals

 Preprints

  • Archive of unpublished manuscripts: Medrxiv

Registries of studies in progress

Ongoing studies

WHO Solidarity trial

 Other evidence resources

General Information on COVID-19

Other

Covid-19 Guidance Resources

Our aim is to provide the most comprehensive overview of available resources for our members and to avoid duplicating efforts, especially as guidance in this area is constantly under review and being updated.  It is for members and guests to select the most relevant resources for their setting.

If your organisation has any relevant resources, especially in languages other than English, please email the links and a short description to covid-19@g-i-n.net

Guideline Development and Adaptation

Free Resources 

Methodologies

GIN Collaborations

LMIC

Resources from members

Relevant Guideline publications

Dagens A et al.Scope, quality, and inclusivity of clinical guidelines produced early in the covid-19 pandemic: rapid review. https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1936

Guidance

All materials presented in this section are from GIN member organisations or other trusted sources. No quality assessments have been undertaken by GIN.

 Repositories of guidelines

  Living Guidelines

 Registries of guidelines in development 

Guidance from GIN Members

  Guidance from other organisations

GIN Partners & Collaborations

GIN encourages multilateral collaboration and works in partnership with the following non-profit groups/organisations in order to provide value to our members:

The AGREE Collaboration

The international research teams of the AGREE Enterprise (Appraisal of Guidelines REsearch and Evaluation) have been at the forefront of creating tools aimed to evaluate the quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and inform their development reporting. Since 2003, the AGREE Enterprise has contributed to the science and advancement of practice guidelines through its various programs of research and international collaborations.

Some of the most used AGREE tools are:

AGREE II – Assesses the methodological rigour and transparency in which a practice guideline is developed and can be used to guide their development.

AGREE Global Rating Scale (AGREE-GRS)– A short item tool to evaluate the quality and reporting of practice guidelines.

AGREE Recommendation EXcellence (AGREE-REX)– A complement to the AGREE II intended to guide the development, reporting, and evaluation of the clinical credibility and implementability of practice guideline recommendations.

AGREE Health Systems (AGREE-HS) – Assesses the methodological rigour and transparency in which health system guidance documents are developed and can be used to guide their development and reporting.

By visiting The AGREE Collaboration Website you can also find My AGREE PLUS a user-informed online AGREE II appraisal platform launched in 2013 that now has more than 60,000 registered users from around the world.

More information on AGREE, the instrument and translations are available here

Cochrane

Cochrane is a global independent network of researchers, health professionals, and consumers of health care; carers, advocates, and people interested in health. It responds to the challenge of making the vast amounts of evidence generated through research useful for informing decisions about health care. Cochrane is a not-for-profit organisation with collaborators from more than 130 countries working together to produce credible, accessible health information that is free from commercial sponsorship and other conflicts of interest. After 20 years Cochrane is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading organisations in the health sector, with a reputation for producing high quality, credible information to inform health decision-making.

The Cochrane Library contains high quality health care information, including the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Find out more at The Cochrane Library

The two organisations have also collaborated on TaskExchange – a platform used to facilitate closer working relationships between systematic reviewers and guideline developers.  Users must create a profile, then can use the platform to post tasks or note willingness and ability to undertake tasks.  In return for the work, the professional can be paid and/or receive acknowledgement.

Covidence

Covidence is a complete systematic review management system that streamlines the literature review process and provides a centralised, consolidated view of all review activity within an organisation.

They are a non-profit service working in partnership with Cochrane to improve the production and use of systematic reviews for health and well-being around the world.

When you log into Covidence, you’re joining a vibrant and growing global community of librarians, researchers and students who are creating a new way of translating research into trustworthy evidence to drive high-quality evidence-informed decision-making.

GIN members are eligible for a discount of up to 20% when signing up to join Covidence, email hello@covidence.org for more information.

COVID-END

COVID-END partners are drawn from diverse evidence-synthesis, technology assessment and guideline-development communities and have long track records of supporting decision-makers locally, nationally and internationally. Their activities span the full gamut of COVID-19 issues, including traditional infection prevention and control but also how to manage impacts on mental health and family violence, health- and social-care systems, education, employment, financial protection, food safety and security, government services, housing, public safety and justice, recreation and transportation. Their activities also span the full array of contexts where the COVID-19 pandemic is playing out, including low-, middle- and high-income countries.

The GRADE Working Group

The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (short GRADE) working group began in the year 2000 as an informal collaboration of people with an interest in addressing the shortcomings of grading systems in health care. The working group has developed a common, sensible and transparent approach to grading quality (or certainty) of evidence and strength of recommendations. Many international organisations have provided input into the development of the GRADE approach which is now considered the standard in guideline development.

The International Network of Agencies for Health Technologies Assessment (INAHTA)

The International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA) is a non-profit organisation that has deep roots in the international HTA community stretching back to 1993 when the Network was founded.  Today INAHTA has grown to 54 member agencies from 33 countries across North and Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. All members are non-profit making organisations producing HTA and are linked to regional or national government.

INAHTA’s mission is to provide a forum for the identification and pursuit of interests that are important to our member agencies which will progress the realisation of INAHTA’s vision.

The Network aims to:

  • Bring agency leadership and expertise to bear on the science and practice of HTA in the international health community.
  • Demonstrate the value of HTA agencies as key components of modern health systems to support robust, evidence-based decision making.
  • Support best practice and innovation for building and maintaining thriving HTA agencies.
  • Build communities of practice to enable continuous exchange of knowledge and learning among our members.

INAHTA’s vision is a network of strong, independent HTA agencies, where each agency is an essential contributor to health system decision making to achieve better health and better health systems for the people they serve.

INAHTA is led by an international Board of Directors, who are responsible for guiding the direction and activities of the Network and Secretariat to achieve strategic objectives. The membership meets yearly at the INAHTA Congress and members participate in various committees, groups and communities of practice throughout the year. The Annual Meeting is held in conjunction with the HTAi Conference. In 2013 the Institute of Health Economics (IHE, Canada) was selected to serve as the INAHTA Secretariat.

Health technology assessment (HTA) is the systematic evaluation of the properties and effects of a health technology, addressing the direct and intended effects of this technology, as well as its indirect and unintended consequences, and aimed mainly at informing decision making regarding health technologies. Note: HTA is conducted by interdisciplinary groups that use explicit analytical frameworks drawing on a variety of methods.

For more definitions, visit the international HTA Glossary produced by INAHTA, HTAi and other partner organisations.

McMaster University

GIN and McMaster University entered into a partnership to jointly evolve and publish a Guideline Development Checklist.  The checklist was produced for the benefit of guideline developers to ensure that no key steps are missed when developing a guideline.  Its use will support the development and implementation of trustworthy guidelines.  For further information and to find the online and pdf versions of the checklist, as well as several translations and a glossary of terms and tutorials, please visit the website.

To network and actively collaborate with the guideline community, become a GIN member today!