Definition

• Clinical Consensus Statements (CCS) reflect collective agreement of opinions from an organized group of experts transcribed into a written document. ECS should reflect the expert views of a panel of individuals who are well-versed on the topic of interest and provide their opinions after carefully examining and discussing the scientific data They are not to be confused with a formal evidence review and are not developed in accordance with clinical practice guidelines. Additionally, Consensus Statements are not intended as a legal document or a primary source of detailed technical information.
• A Consensus Method (CM) is a formal process that allows information to be synthesized into the CCS for topics where evidence is insufficient to support formal guideline Furthermore, CMs allow the insights of appropriate experts to be solicited and may fill the gap for areas void of quality research evidence.

Purpose

• Physicians use CCS to improve patient care, reduce variations in practice, and improve outcomes.

Level of Evidence

• Level of evidence will vary based on the quality and consistency of the supporting Risk of bias is reduced through formal consensus processes but is higher than that associated with guidelines. Levels of evidence should be described by the Guideline Grading System from the American College of Physicians (Qaseem A, Snow V, Owens DK, Shekelle P. The Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines and Guidance Statements of the American College of Physicians: Summary of Methods. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153(3):194-199. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-153-3-201008030-00010).

Process to Create

Expert Consensus Statements are developed with input from primarily otolaryngologists, but may include other medical specialists, nurses, allied health professionals where appropriate. Three common methods for creating an ECS are: 1) The Delphi Method, 2) The Nominal Group Technique, and 3) The Consensus Development Conference. The AHNS uses a modified Delphi Method

Review Cycle

• As Needed

Instructions: To submit a topic, please complete all the fields below and email any questions to Ochun Farlice at [email protected].