Table 1:
Criteria for selecting topics for recommendations of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care
| Criteria | Explanation | Source of information* |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1: Developing a short list of potential topics | ||
| Timing of most recent review | Priority is given to topics that have not been examined by the task force within the past 5 years. | |
| Availability of new evidence | Priority is given to topics for which new or controversial evidence, which might lead to a change in existing recommendations, has emerged since the last time the topic was reviewed by the task force. | |
| Input from primary care practitioners | Priority is given to topics that will address the needs of primary care practitioners. | |
| Stage 2: Ranking the final leading topics | ||
| Disease burden | Prevalence, mortality, comorbidity, quality of life and expected effectiveness of the preventive service in decreasing that burden are assessed. | Summaries of literature reviews and stakeholder consultations are developed and provided. |
| Potential impact of recommendations in clinical practice | Rating is done of whether there is the potential of a recommendation in a field to improve clinical practice and patient outcomes. | Summary of stakeholder consultations is developed and provided. |
| Interest of the public or care providers | Priority is given to topics that have been recommended by practitioners or stakeholders. | Summary of stakeholder consultations is developed and provided. |
| Variation in care | Priority is given to preventive services that have the potential to decrease variations in care. | Summaries of literature reviews and stakeholder consultations are developed and provided. |
| Sufficiency of evidence | A preliminary scan is conducted to determine whether there is evidence to answer key research questions. | Summary of literature reviews is developed and provided. |
| New evidence | Priority is given especially to high-quality evidence in a stable field. | Summaries of literature reviews and stakeholder consultations are developed and provided. |
*
This information is developed by the task force scientific officers with assistance from the Evidence Review and Synthesis Centre, and is provided to the topic prioritization work group.