Table 1.
Guideline development S-Classes as defined by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften
| S-Class 1: Expert group | An expert group formed of representative members of the specialist association(s) works in loose consensus on a recommendation that is adopted by the Board(s) of the specialist association(s) |
| S-Class 2: Formal evidence-based research or formal consensus building | Guideline development is based on the formal assessment of statements from the research literature (S2e) or guideline consultation and adoption is based on one of the following proven methods of achieving formal consensus: nominal group process, Delphi technique or consensus conference |
| S-Class 3: Guideline with all elements of systematic development | Guideline development comprises systematic literature research and assessment, the classification of case studies and recommendations according to the criteria of evidence-based medicine, and formal consensus building |