Infection Prevention and Control of Epidemic- and Pandemic-prone Acute Respiratory Infections Guideline Development Group (IPC-ARI-GDG)
Over the past decade, the landscape of respiratory viruses has evolved significantly, exemplified by the profound impact of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO Heath Emergencies Programme (WHE) IPC and WASH team is undertaking an update of the 2014 guideline titled Infection prevention and control of epidemic-and pandemic prone acute respiratory infections in health care. Updating of this guideline will adhere to the highest international standards for guideline development, including the use of Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) and the evidence to Decision making process. This guideline will be developed in collaboration with a panel of experts, termed the Guideline Development Group (GDG), which is composed of relevant technical specialists, a patient representative and ethicist.
Background
Infection prevention and control (IPC) and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are central to public health emergencies, including outbreak response and containment. IPC also constitutes the foundations of safe essential health services and resilient communities and health systems, ensuring quality care, and protecting against healthcare associated infections and anti-microbial resistance. The success of ensuring IPC measures are implemented for outbreak response, in health facilities and communities, is dependent upon maintaining IPC operational readiness to rapidly respond to cases and putting in place at least the IPC minimum requirements at the national and health care facility levels as soon as possible. Over the past decade, the landscape of respiratory viruses has evolved significantly, exemplified by the profound impact of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. WHE IPC and WASH team is undertaking an update of the 2014 guideline titled Infection prevention and control of epidemic-and pandemic prone acute respiratory infections in health care. Updating of this guideline will adhere to the highest international standards for guideline development, including the use of GRADE and the evidence to decision making process and be developed by the below panel of persons.
Objectives
The role of the IPC-ARI-GDG is to:
- provide input into the scope of the guideline;
- assist in developing the key questions in PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome) format;
- choose and rank priority outcomes that will guide the evidence reviews and focus the recommendations;
- examine the GRADE evidence profiles or other assessments of the quality of the evidence used to inform the recommendations and provide input;
- interpret the evidence, with explicit consideration of the overall balance of benefits and harms;
- formulate recommendations and good practice statements by considering benefits, harms, values and preferences, feasibility, equity, acceptability, resource requirements and other factors, as appropriate, and;
- review and approve the final guideline document before submission to the guideline review committee.