Synthesis of Best Practice Recommendations

Expert task groups (refer to Appendix 2 for a list of task group members) were convened for each segment of the continuum of stroke care, to select relevant recommendations arising from the evidence review and if necessary draft new recommendations based on emerging evidence. Task groups were instructed that recommendations could address structure and/or processes of care at either the system level or the patient level, and that they could be (i) taken directly from other existing guidelines, (ii) adapted from one or more guidelines, or (iii) written by the task group. Appropriate references were to accompany all recommendation statements derived from evidence or existing guidelines.

For the 2010 update, each task group participated in a series of teleconferences between May 2009 and February 2010 to complete their research reviews and develop the recommendations. The Director of Performance and Standards at the CSN participated in all teleconferences to ensure consistency, standardization, and rigour of development across task groups.

The task groups for each topic area:

• Reviewed the results of the structured literature reviews and the primary evidence for each stroke topic area
• Reviewed content from other guidelines
• Considered additional topics that had high levels of supporting evidence but that did not appear on the original topic list
• Wrote the first draft of the recommendations for their topic area
• Provided references for each recommendation
• Developed a rationale and system implications for each recommendation, showing its relevance to stroke care and the possible impact of implementing the recommendation
• Summarized the primary research evidence underpinning the recommendations
• Submitted their work to the CSS Best Practices Working Group for initial review and comment.