Policy Committee Meeting 9_28_2023

Guidelines and Statements Development Process The following outlines the document development process by the AUGS Guidelines Committee. The Executive Director should be consulted if the Guidelines Committee is proposing changes to this development process. 1. Topic Nomination – Topics for Guidelines or Statements can be nominated by members of the Guidelines Committee, as well as other AUGS Committees, the AUGS Board or AUGS members. The Guidelines Committee is responsible for determining what type of document will be developed, as well as the timeline for the development of the document. Once this has been determined, a proposal (including writing group chair recommendations) is sent to the AUGS Board of Directors for their approval. All topics must be approved by the AUGS Board prior to starting the topic development process. Appendix E: Guidelines Committee Roles and Responsibilities; Appendix F: Contributor Agreement (Committee-level) 2. Writing Group Identification – Once a topic and document type is approved for development a writing group chair is appointed by the AUGS President. The chair is selected based on his/her expertise in the topic area, ability to work in a team, and experience in methodology. The chair must not have any relevant Conflicts of Interest (COI) with the guideline or statement under consideration. The Writing Group Chair will work with the Guidelines Committee Chair to identify 3 to 5 additional members to serve on the topic work group. These members should also have expertise in the topic area, as well as be strong writers and editors. COI of work group members will be managed by the Chair. Appendix A: Writing Group Expectations and Responsibilities; Appendix B: Contributor Agreement 3. Expectations of Acknowledgement – Contributors may be listed on select documents. Expectations of acknowledgement will be reviewed by the Writing Group Chair at the start of the document writing process and will follow those guidelines established in the AUGS Document Development Policy and Process. Any questions concerning acknowledgement decisions will be managed by the Writing Group Chair. At the discretion of the Board, the standard acknowledgement may be waived. Appendix D: Writing Group Acknowledgement 4. Literature Review – The Writing Group, with assistance from a methodologist as needed, selects/identifies articles with pertinent data to support the document development process. An initial literature search is conducted by an AUGS Staff member, with support from the Guidelines Committee and topic work group as needed. 5. Data Acquisition – Relevant data is extracted; analyzed; meta-analyzed, when appropriate; and synthesized by the methodologist as needed. The findings are presented to the Work Group in an evidence report. 6. Document Writing – The Writing Group creates a draft document by writing the text that supports what was found from the literature search. The Writing Group is responsible for ensuring a quality document is produced. They are encouraged to utilize other members of the Guidelines Committee to assist in the editing process. 7. Peer Review – The draft document will follow the peer review process as developed in collaboration with the FPMRS Editor. Appendix C: Peer Review Expectations/Checklist 8. Peer Review – The draft document is reviewed by a minimum of 3 individuals who are not on the writing group, but are members of the AUGS Guidelines Committee. This is intended to be an internal peer review process separate from the peer review process which will occur at the Journal level. A document may also be made available for public comment through the AUGS website. The writing group is responsible for addressing all comments and preparing a final version for the Guidelines Committee. Appendix C: Peer Review Expectations/Checklist 9. Guideline Approval and Publication – Once the document is approved by the Guidelines Committee, it goes to the Terminology Committee to ensure consistency of terminology, use of good grammar, reliance on appropriate evidence to support statements, etc. The final document is reviewed by legal, approved by the Board of Directors and then officially published on the AUGS website. Appendix C: Peer Review Expectations/Checklist 10. Dissemination – All documents are published in the journal, Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery and should be submitted via the standard manuscript submission process. AUGS staff will assist with the submission of these documents. Each document will also undergo the peer review process as established by the Journal. Additional distribution may be considered for the urogynecology community and the general public through webinars, patient fact sheets, quality measures and educational products.