Consensus statements come from a group of experts who are well versed in the evidence and the condition, while guidelines do not necessarily come just from experts, but from panels that include experts, consumers, or other physicians—each representing a specific stakeholder perspective.
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November 2015The statements are developed using the Delphi method: A statement is made, and each of the panelists rates his or her level of agreement on a 0 (strongly disagree) to 9 (strongly agree) scale. If the average is at least 7, without significant outlier responses, the statement is accepted. If there is no consensus, it is dropped. If it falls in the middle, the panelists discuss it and then re-assess the statement.
“If you can reach a good consensus on it, then that’s something worth knowing, and something you may want to do in your practice,” Dr. Rosenfeld said. “But we’re not making a recommendation.”—TC