ACOEM adopts rigorous methodology for updates to its Occupational Medicine Pract

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ACOEM adopts rigorous methodology for updates to its Occupational

Medicine Practice Guidelines

http://www.acoem.org/news.aspx?id=2528

CHICAGO, January 12, 2007 – The American College of Occupational and

Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) has adopted a new more meticulous

strength-of-evidence rating methodology for the updates to its

Occupational Medicine Practice Guidelines, 2nd Edition. The enhanced

methodology incorporates the highest scientific standards for

reviewing evidence-based literature, thus ensuring the most

rigorous, reproducible, and transparent occupational health

guidelines available. The State of California recently published

intended modifications to its medical treatment utilization schedule

regulations. The proposed revisions reaffirm that ACOEM's Guidelines

are the foundation for the State's utilization schedule, and also

propose adoption of ACOEM's new methodology.

The new methodology features a number of improvements, including

advances in: 1) criteria to grade scientific articles; 2)

determining strength-of-evidence ratings for studies; 3) applying a

rating of potential for bias; and 4) developing evidence-based

recommendation categories. " The new methodology ensures that ACOEM's

Guidelines are maintained at the highest achievable scientific

standards for evidence-based literature, " said Tee L. Guidotti, MD,

MPH, President of ACOEM. " Improving or restoring the health of

workers with occupationally related illnesses or injuries is a

fundamental principle of occupational and environmental medicine and

ACOEM's new methodology ensures that our practice guidelines fulfill

that mission. "

S. Weiss, MD, MPH, Chair of the Guidelines Methodology

Committee, stated that the changes were made " to provide greater

consistency, clarity and transparency in the evidence-based medicine

methodology. " He further noted that " the criteria to rate articles

are purposefully more detailed than in other available guidelines

and that by providing these explicit ratings and ultimately mapping

them to the strength of the evidence, the entire process becomes

more reproducible. " It also becomes possible for others to critique

the process, analyses, and recommendations, thereby resulting in

continual quality improvement.

" The new methodology allows users to more readily determine what was

done, why it was done, and how it was done, " said M.

Turkelson, PhD, who represented the American Association of

Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) as a member of the Methodology

Committee. " As a result, all interested parties should have much

more confidence in the recommendations that emanate from these

guidelines, " he stated.

ACOEM created the Guidelines to improve the efficiency and

specificity of medical diagnosis of workplace-related injuries and

diseases, enhance the effectiveness of treatment, and help

occupational and environmental physicians manage growing caseloads.

Currently there are not any guidelines for the care of workers

produced in the United States that are both as rigorous and

multidisciplinary in scope as are the ACOEM Guidelines.

The Guidelines were first published in 1997 and revised in 2004.

They are presently undergoing a three-year rotating update. The

first update will deal with elbow complaints and is scheduled for

publication later this month. Updates to the spine and hip chapters

are scheduled for mid and late 2007 respectively.

The Occupational Medicine Practice Guidelines: Evaluation and

Management of Common Health Problems and Functional Recovery in

Workers, 2nd Edition, is published by ACOEM. To inquire about the

electronic version or order a print copy of the Guidelines, call

ACOEM at 847/818-1800, or visit www.acoem.org. The Guidelines are

$175 for ACOEM members; $199 for non-members.

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Members of the Media: For more information, call nne Dreger at

847/818-1800, ext. 368, or Darleene Shah, ext. 380.