Introduction: The mission of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) is to innovate, educate, and collaborate to improve patient care. A critical element in meeting this mission is the publishing of trustworthy and current guidelines for the practicing surgeon.
Methods: In this manuscript, we outline the steps of developing high quality practice guidelines using a completely volunteer-based professional organization.
Results: SAGES has developed a standardized approach to train volunteer surgeons and trainees alike to develop clinically pertinent guidelines in a timely manner, without sacrificing quality.
Conclusions: This methodology can be used more widely by volunteer organizations to efficiently develop effective tools for practicing physicians.
Keywords: Guidelines development; Surgical practice guidelines; Systematic review.