Developing HIV/AIDS Treatment Guidelines (UNAIDS, 1999, 43 p.): Part 2: Developing valid HIV/AIDS guidelines: Steps in developing HIV/AIDS treatment guidelines: 1. Target groups and type of guideline

Developing HIV/AIDS Treatment Guidelines (UNAIDS, 1999, 43 p.)

Part 2: Developing valid HIV/AIDS guidelines

Steps in developing HIV/AIDS treatment guidelines

		1. Target groups and type of guideline
		2. Stakeholder mapping exercise
		3. Setting up a guideline development committee
		4. Role of the committee members
		5. Guideline scope
		6. Identifying and applying scientific evidence
		7. Methods of establishing consensus
		8. Deriving recommendations
		9. Drafting guidelines
		10. Involving external reviewers
		11. Disseminating and implementing guidelines
		12. Workplan for guideline development
		13. Budgeting for guideline development
		14. Public policy implications of HIV/AIDS treatment guidelines

1. Target groups and type of guideline

Early decisions should be made on the type of guideline required, the target group that will use it and the levels at which it will be used. These issues can be determined by a survey of individuals currently requiring an HIV/AIDS clinical management guideline. The scope of the guideline should also be decided well in advance. Commonly it will be for various levels of the health-care system throughout a country. The guideline s value and relevance need to be checked for each different country in which it is to be used.

Two types of guidelines could be developed depending on their use: either HIV/ AIDS-specific, or general medical treatment guidelines incorporating HIV/AIDS-specific recommendations. Additional outcomes of this are a summary that busy clinicians can use as a convenient quick reference, and a consumer s guide for use by people living with HIV/AIDS (PWAs) and carers in the home. The summary should give the recommendations in diagrammatic form or flowcharts. This could be a starting point for making locally relevant protocols or guidelines that take into account the disease patterns of HIV and the practices common to a particular area.