Guideline Development
2019 Call for CCS Guideline and Position Statement Topics
The 2019 Call for Guideline and Position Statement Topics is now closed. Thank you to all the CCS members who took the time to submit a topic. CCS only has capacity to develop a limited number of statements each year. As such, the CCS Guidelines Committee reviews each submission carefully to assess the need, relevance to CCS membership and expertise, and suitability to the CCS guideline or position statement format. The final decision on topics selected for development will be decided by CCS Council and announced in mid-June.
CCS Guideline Development Process
The CCS is committed to developing statements that high quality and transparent. In addition to the CCS specific procedures and policies, CCS follows the AGREE II Instrument as an overarching methodology to guide development. In addition, the CCS has adopted the GRADE Scale for rating the strength of recommendations and the quality of evidence. The following documents describe for co-chairs, panel members, members and CCS staff the policies and procedures for development of guidelines and position statements including special consideration of the “closed-loop” development programs for Heart failure and Atrial Fibrillation:
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The CCS Guideline Development Policies and Procedures document addresses all policies and procedures related to the CCS development process including topic selection, panel selection, evidence review, defining and achieving consensus, statement format, approval process, CCC presentation and CJC publication for both guidelines and position statements.
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To ensure high quality and transparency, the CCS strongly suggests all guideline and position statement developers use the international AGREE II Instrument as a tool for guiding development and assessing the quality and methodological transparency of guidelines. For a copy of the AGREE II Instrument and background information on AGREE II, please visit www.agreetrust.org
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To ensure high quality and transparency, the CCS has adopted the GRADE Scale for rating the strength of recommendations and the quality of evidence. As of January 2010, the CCS uses the GRADE system of evidence assessment for all guidelines and position statements. In June 2015, CCS developed a CCS Grade framework to guide co-chairs and writing panels through the systematic review of evidence and the application of GRADE when developing recommendations. It is meant to be used as a framework to a more rigorous application of GRADE and is presented in five high level steps with examples for documentation that can be adapted to suit the specific needs of the writing panel.
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For more information on GRADE, please refer to the BMJ GRADE primer articles below:
Part 1 - GRADE: an emerging consensus on rating quality of evidence and strength of recommendations
Part 2 - GRADE: what is "quality of evidence" and why is it important to clinicians?
Part 3 - GRADE: going from evidence to recommendations
Part 4 - GRADE: grading quality of evidence and strength of recommendations for diagnostic tests and strategies
Part 5 - GRADE: Incorporating considerations of resources use into grading recommendations
Part 6 - Use of GRADE grid to reach decisions on clinical practice guidelines when consensus is elusive
Guidelines and Position Statements Currently Under Development
Guidelines and Position Statements Currently Under Development | Co-Chairs | Expected Completion |
CCS Position Statement on the Investigation and Management of Orthostatic Hypotension and Postural Tachycardia Syndrome | S.R. Raj J. Guzman |
Early 2020 |
CCS/CSCS/CAIC/CanCare Position Statement on a Heart Team-based Approach to Percutaneous Mechanical Cardiac Support Devices in Cardiogenic Shock or High Risk Cardiac Interventions | H. Ly D. Freed |
Early 2020 |
CCS/CACHnet Guidelines for the Management of Adults with Congenital Heart Disease | A. Marielli C. Silversides |
Early 2020 |
CCS/CHRS Position Statement on the Management of Ventricular Tachycardia in Structural Heart Disease | M. Deyell J. Sapp |
Early 2020 |
CCS Guidelines for the Management of Dyslipidemia for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in the Adult | G. Pearson G. Thanassoulis |
October 2020 |
CCS/CCTN Position Statement on Heart Transplant Patient Eligibility, Selection, and Post-Transplant Care | B. Clarke S. Chih |
Early 2020 |
CCS Position Statement on Recent International Guidelines on the Assessment and Management of Syncope | R. Sandhuu B. Sheldon |
Early 2020 |
CCS/CanSCMR Update on Safety for Cardiovascular Patients Undergoing Magnetic Resonance Imaging | I. Paterson J. White |
Spring 2020 |
CCS/CHFS Position Statement on the Evaluation and Management of Patients with Cardiac Amyloidosis | M. Davis N. Fine |
Spring 2020 |
CCS/CSE Position Statement on Indications and Appropriate Use of Echocardiography in Canada | H. Leong-Poi L. Rudski |
October 2020 |
CCS/CanCare/CNCS Position Statement on Neurologic Prognostication in the Post Cardiac Arrest Patient | C. Fordyce A. Kramer |
October 2020 |
CCS Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation Guideline Update | J. Andrade L. Macle A. Verma |
October 2020 |
CCS Guidelines on the Fitness to Drive and Fly | P. Guerra C. Simpson |
October 2020 |
CCS/CHFS Guidelines on Use of AHA to Reduce CV and Renal Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus | J. Mancini E. O’Meara |
October 2020 |
CCS Guidelines on Peripheral Arterial Disease | S. Anand B. Abramson M. Al-Omran |
October 2020 |
CCS/CANCARE/CSCS Guidelines on Post-Operative Critical Care Management of Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery | A. Hassan R. Arora S. van Diepen |
October 2020 |
CCS Clinical Practice Update on the Cardiovascular Management of the Pregnant Patient | J. Windram J. Grewal |
Summer 2020 |
CCS/CPCA Clinical Practice Update on the Screening and Management of Lipid Disorders in Children and Adolescents | B. McCrindle M. Khoury |
Summer 2020 |
CCS Clinical Practice Update on Smoking Cessation and the Cardiovascular Specialist | A. Pipe A. Gupta |
Summer 2020 |
CCS Clinical Practice Update on Cardiac Tumors | R. Cusimano D. Jassal |
Summer 2020 |
CCS Clinical Practice Update on Measuring Long QTc | R. Davies C. MacIntrye |
Summer 2020 |