Table 1.
Format for structured and standardized reporting of consensus documents
| Paragraph | Subsection | Contenta |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Background | General introduction to the topic, current setting, guidelines |
| Rationale | ||
| Objective | May encompass incorporation in a guideline | |
| Participants | Panel | Selection process and rationale |
| Composition, background, qualifications | ||
| Potential conflicts-of-interest | ||
| Role of the steering committee | ||
| External reviewers | Composition | |
| Tasks/Goals | ||
| Potential conflicts-of-interest | ||
| Endorsement | Societies | |
| Stakeholders | ||
| Process | Clinical problem | Precise definition |
| Objective and rationale | ||
| Target population | ||
| Target audience | ||
| Available evidence | Literature review and appraisal following PRISMA | |
| Method for presentation of literature to panel | ||
| Consensus methodb | Rationale | |
| Consensus method type | ||
| Selected items/questionnaire/pretesting | ||
| Voting rounds | ||
| Stopping criteria | ||
| Feedback/iteration (time points, content, distribution method) | ||
| Interim evaluation and dealing with decisions (non-consensus) | ||
| Data synthesis (method) | ||
| Anonymityc | ||
| Consensus | Definition (a priori) | |
| Levels | ||
| Results | Process | Literature search |
| Panel response/drop out | ||
| Items final/dropped | ||
| Consensus | Outcomes | |
| Level of evidence | ||
| Discussion | Discussion | Strengths and limitations |
| Applicability and generalizability | ||
| Conclusion | Conclusion |
a Content that should be reported at a minimum but not restricted to
b A flowchart or table outlining each step of the consensus method process is encouraged
c Recommended if applicable