Manual for ACC/AHA Guideline Writing Committees

Methodologies and Policies from the ACC/AHA Task Force on Practice Guidelines

Section I: Overview of Methodology and Purpose of the Manual

Importance of ACC/AHA Guidelines
The creation of clinical practice guidelines has been a joint activity between the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) since the 1980s. The guidelines advance the missions of both organizations by providing clinical recommendations to health care providers for the purpose of improving cardiovascular health. The Institute of Medicine defines practice guidelines as, "systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances." (1990) Well developed guidelines have the potential to enhance the appropriateness of clinical practice, improve the quality of cardiovascular care, lead to better patient outcomes, improve cost-effectiveness, and identify areas of further research needs.

Purpose and Scope of the Manual
To continue as a leader in the field of clinical practice guidelines, the ACC/AHA Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Task Force) has overseen the creation of this manual to assist guideline writing committees in navigating guideline creation. The bulk of this manual consists of tools to assist guideline writers in interpreting and applying the methodology. A flowchart highlighting the key steps in the development of evidence-based guidelines (Figure 1) serves as the basis for organizing the manual.

The Task Force understands the challenges in applying a uniform methodology to guidelines that represent diverse diseases, conditions, diagnostics, and interventions. In all cases, writing group members should familiarize themselves thoroughly with the manual, as these policies and standards provide the framework for guideline creation. However, if warranted the Task Force may allow exceptions to the written policies.

Staff Support
The ACC and AHA provide scientific and administrative staff to support the creation of evidence-based guidelines. A Research Analyst and Guideline Manager are assigned to each guideline to assist writers with the methodology and process of guideline development.