Protocol for Development of American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Clinical Practice Guidelines and Consensus Statements: Summary of Methodology, Process, and Policy-2023 Update

Objective: This 2023 updated protocol summarizes the American Association of Clinical Endo-crinology's (AACE's) new framework for the development of clinical practice guidelines and other guidance documents that includes changes to methodology, processes, and policies.Methods: AACE has critically reviewed its development processes for guidance documents over the last several years against the National Academy of Medicine Standards for Developing Trustworthy Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Council of Medical Specialty Societies Principles for Development of Specialty Society Clinical Guidelines to determine areas for improvement.Results: The new AACE framework for development of guidance documents incorporates many changes, including a revised conflicts of interest (COI) policy; strengthened commitment to collec-tion of disclosures and management of relevant COI during development; open calls to membership for authors; new requirements for authors; new diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy; new empanelment process that incorporates consideration of DEI; and adoption of the Grading of Rec-ommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology to increase the quality of evidence assessment and standardize recommendation grades and statements, among other improvements.Conclusions: AACE has revised its policies and adopted a completely new methodology for guideline development in support of the mission to elevate the practice of clinical endocrinology to improve patient care. With the use of an evidence-based medicine framework and by continually assessing and improving its processes for development of guidance, AACE strives to deliver trustworthy, un-biased, and up-to-date information that ensures clinician and patient confidence in AACE content. Further, AACE hopes that these enhancements foster a more collaborative approach to development and increase engagement with the worldwide medical community to improve global health.(c) 2023 AACE. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This 2023 updated protocol summarizes AACE's new framework for the development of clinical practice guidelines and other guidance documents, which includes changes to methodology, processes, and policies. AACE has reviewed its development processes for guidance documents against recognized standards and made improvements. The new framework incorporates various changes and enhancements to ensure the quality and reliability of the content.