Guideline 68: Dyspepsia

Dyspepsia
Section 8: Development of the guideline

8.1 Introduction

SIGN is a collaborative network of clinicians, other health care professionals and patient organisations funded by the Scottish Executive Health Department. SIGN guidelines are developed by multidisciplinary groups using a standard methodology based on a systematic review of the evidence. Further details about SIGN and the guideline development methodology are contained in “SIGN 50: A guideline developer’s handbook”, available at www.sign.ac.uk

8.2 The guideline development group

Ms Angela Timoney	Consultant in Pharmaceutical Public Health, (Chairman) Kings Cross Hospital, Dundee
Mr Colin MacKay	Consultant Surgeon, Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow (Secretary)
Dr Robin Balfour	General Practitioner, Murrayfield Medical Practice, Edinburgh
Mrs Janice Bancroft	Staff Nurse, Thoracic Unit,Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride
Mr Graham Bell	Patient Representative, Penicuik
Ms Anne Crozier	GI Specialist Nurse, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
Dr Michael Gray	General Practitioner, Ancrum Medical Centre, Dundee
Dr Bob Heading	Consultant Physician, Centre for Liver and Digestive Disorders, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh
Mr Robin Harbour	Quality and Information Director, SIGN
Dr Stuart Hislop	Consultant Gastroenterologist, Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley
Mrs Phoebe Isard	Patient Representative, Edinburgh
Ms Moira Kinnear	Principal Pharmacist, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
Professor Kenneth McColl	Director of Gastroenterology, Western Infirmary,Glasgow
Dr John Murchison	Consultant Radiologist, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh
Mr William R Murray	Consultant Surgeon, Lister Department of Surgery, Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Dr Stephanie Norris	Medical Director, North Cumbria Acute Hospitals, Carlisle
Mrs Fiona Phillips	Senior Dietitian, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
Dr Rita Rigg	General Practitioner, Hermitage Medical Practices, Edinburgh
Dr Jack Taylor	General Practitioner, Aboyne Medical Practice, Aberdeenshire
Ms Joanne Topalian	Programme Manager, SIGN
Dr Craig Williams	Consultant Medical Microbiologist, Yorkhill NHS Trust, Glasgow

The membership of the guideline development group was confirmed following consultation with the member organisations of SIGN. Declarations of interests were made by all members of the guideline development group. Further details are available from the SIGN Executive.

SIGN is also grateful to the following for contributing to particular sections of this guideline:

Dr Pablo Alonso	General Practitioner Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre, Barcelona	Assistance with the algorithm
Dr Andrew Walker	Senior Lecturer in Health Economics, Robertson Centre for Biostatistics, University of Glasgow.	Drafting section 6.4

8.3 Systematic literature review

The evidence base for this guideline was synthesised in accordance with SIGN methodology. A systematic review of the literature was carried out using an explicit search strategy devised by the SIGN Information Officer in collaboration with members of the guideline development group.

Searches were restricted to systematic reviews, meta-analyses, RCTs, and longitudinal studies. Internet searches were carried out on the Web sites of the Canadian Practice Guidelines Infobase, the New Zealand Guidelines Programme, the UK Health Technology Assessment Programme, the US National Guidelines Clearinghouse, and the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Searches were also carried out using Google and OMNI search engines, and all suitable links followed up. Database searches were carried out on Cochrane Library, Embase 1990 to 2000, and Medline 1990 to 2000. Embase and Medline searches were later extended back to 1980 in relation to specific questions where more recent evidence was lacking. All searches were later updated to 2001.

An independent information specialist reviewed the search strategies. The Medline version of the main search strategies is available on the SIGN Web site, in the section covering supporting material for published guidelines. The main searches were supplemented by material identified by individual members of the development group. All selected papers were evaluated using standard methodological checklists before conclusions were considered as evidence.

8.4 Consultation and peer review

8.4.1 NATIONAL OPEN MEETING

The national open meeting is the main consultative phase of SIGN guideline development, at which the guideline development group presents their draft recommendations for the first time. The national open meeting for this guideline was held in October 2001 and was attended by all of the key specialties relevant to the guideline. The draft guideline was also available on the SIGN web site for a limited period at this stage to allow those unable to attend the meeting to contribute to the development of the guideline.

8.4.2 SPECIALIST REVIEW

The guideline was also reviewed in draft form by a panel of independent expert referees, who were asked to comment primarily on the comprehensiveness and accuracy of interpretation of the evidence base supporting the recommendations in the guideline. SIGN is very grateful to all of these experts for their contribution to this guideline.

Dr Pablo Alonso	Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre, Barcelona
Professor John Atherton	University Hospital, Nottingham
Mr Charles Auld	Consultant Surgeon, Dumfries & Galloway NHS Trust
Dr James Beattie	Director of Guidelines, Royal College of General Practitioners
Dr Alan Begg	General Practitioner, Montrose
Ms Janice Birrell	Scottish Executive, Health Planning and Quality Division
Professor Peter Bytzer	Department of Medical Gastroenterology, Glostrup University Hospital, Denmark
Dr Anthony Chapman	Consultant Radiologist, St James Hospital, Leeds
Dr Michael Cornbleet	Senior Medical Officer, Scottish Executive, Edinburgh
Dr Xavier Emmanuel	Medical Microbiologist, University of Edinburgh
Professor David Foreman	Coordinating Editor, Cochrane UGPD Group, University of Leeds
Professor Ian Gilmore	Registrar, Royal College of Physicians, London
Dr Barclay Goudie	General Practitioner,Westgate Health Centre, Dundee
Dr Colin Hunter	National Co-ordinator for Primary Care, Edinburgh
Dr Emily Kennedy	Pharmacist, Boots, Dumfries
Dr Alistair Leanord	Consultant Microbiologist, Monklands Hospital, Airdrie
Mr Donald MacDonald	Nurse Endoscopist, St Johns Hospital, Livingston
Ms Sheena MacGregor	Lead Pharmacist, Dundee LHCC
Mr Ron MacLeod	Associate Director of Nursing, Tayside Primary Care NHS Trust
Dr George Masterton	Consultant Psychiatrist, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
Dr Alan Merry	General Practitioner, Ardrossan
Professor Paul Moayyedi	Professor of Gastroenterology Health Services Research, City Hospital NHS Trust, Birmingham
Mr Kenneth Park	Consultant Surgeon, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Dr Andrew Power	Head of Medicines Management Team, Gartnavel Royal Hospital, Glasgow
Ms Patricia Purton	Director, Royal College of Midwives, Edinburgh
Dr Alan Shepherd	Consultant Physician and Gastroenterologist, Perth Royal Infirmary
Dr Hamish Simpson	General Practitioner,West Kilbride, Ayrshire
Dr Philip Shorvon	Consultant Radiologist, Central Middlesex Hospital, London
Mr Alistair Thompson	Consultant Surgeon, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
Dr Sander Veldhuyzen Van Zanten	Consultant Gastroenterologist, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
Dr Marten Walker	General Practitioner, Stornoway
Dr Hugh Whyte	Senior Medical Officer, Primary Care Directorate, Scottish Executive
Ms Kerry Yuill	Dietitian, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh

8.4.3 EDITORIAL GROUP

As a final quality control check, the guideline is reviewed by an Editorial Group comprising the relevant specialty representatives on SIGN Council to ensure that the peer reviewers’ comments have been addressed adequately and that any risk of bias in the guideline development process as a whole has been minimised. The Editorial Group for this guideline was as follows:

Dr David Alexander	British Medical Association Scottish General Practice Committee
Dr Douglas Harper	Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Professor Gordon Lowe	Chairman, SIGN; Co-Editor
Dr Lesley MacDonald	Faculty of Public Health Medicine
Ms Fiona McMillan	Lead Pharmacist, North Glasgow NHS Trust
Dr Safia Qureshi	Programme Director, SIGN
Dr Bill Reith	Chairman, Royal College of General Practitioners, Edinburgh