Developing the updating strategy for the European Breast Guidelines within the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer

ID: 

160

Session: 

Poster session 1

Date: 

Sunday 16 September 2018 - 12:30 to 14:00

All authors in correct order:

Parmelli E1, Saz Parkinson Z1, Lerda D1, Alonso-Coello P2, Martínez García L2
1 European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Italy
2 Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre and Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Spain
Presenting author and contact person

Presenting author:

Elena Parmelli

Contact person:

Elena Parmelli
Abstract text
Background:
The Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) asked the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) to co-ordinate the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC), which aims to ensure and harmonise the quality of care across Europe via the implementation of a voluntary European Quality Assurance scheme for Breast Cancer Services underpinned, for the screening and diagnosis care process, by evidence-based guidelines developed within the ECIBC, the European Breast Guidelines.

Due to the rapidly evolving nature of research evidence, an appropriate updating strategy is needed to maintain the trustworthiness and usefulness of these guidelines.

Objectives:
To develop an updating strategy for the European Breast Guidelines that is evidence-based, sustainable and in line with rules of the European Commission.

Methods:
Starting from a systematic review on guidelines updating and liaising with research groups actively working in this field, we developed a workflow for the updating strategy of the European Breast Guidelines. This strategy was shared with the Guidelines Development Group (GDG) for their input and a piloting of the strategy was planned on seven healthcare questions.

Results:
The workflow of the updating strategy consists of four main steps: prioritisation, surveillance, updating and publication. More details about steps, timelines, tools to be used and actors involved are summarised in Figure 1. The strategy piloting will start in mid-March 2018 and for each step of the process information about time and human resources needed as well as methodological and feasibility issues will be collected for evaluation and used to refine the strategy proposed. The preliminary results of the piloting will be presented at the Colloquium.

Conclusions:
The results of the piloting will help improve the updating strategy proposed for the European Breast Guidelines and thus ensure they remain up-to-date and trustworthy, offering breast cancer patients, professionals and policy-makers, as well as other stakeholders and citizens, clear, objective and independent guidance on breast cancer screening and diagnosis.

Patient or healthcare consumer involvement:
There are three patient members in the GDG who are fully involved in the entire guideline development process, including the updating process.

Attachments: 

PDF icon Figure 1.pdf

Relevance to patients and consumers: 

One of the primary objectives of the European Breast Guidelines, within the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC), is to provide breast cancer patients, professionals, policy makers as well as other stakeholders and citizens with clear, objective and independent guidance on breast cancer screening and diagnosis to enable informed decision-making. Due to the rapidly evolving nature of new research evidence, an appropriate updating strategy is needed to maintain the trustworthiness of clinical practice guidelines and to keep on providing up-to-date evidence for screening and diagnosis of breast cancer.