Reporting and presenting information retrieval processes: the need for optimizing common practice in health technology assessment.

Background: Information retrieval (IR) in health technology assessment (HTA) calls for transparency and reproducibility, but common practice in the documentation and presentation of this process is inadequate in fulfilling this demand.

Objectives: Our objective is to promote good IR practice by presenting the conceptualization of retrieval and transcription readable to non-information specialists, and reporting of effectively processed search strategies.

Methods: We performed a comprehensive database search (04/2010) to synthesize the current state-of-the-art.

[Method report 2007 of the Programme for National Disease Management Guidelines--background and content].

The Programme for National Disease Management Guidelines (German DM-CPG Programme) was established in 2002 by the German Medical Association (umbrella organisation of the German Chambers of Physicians) and joined by the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF)--umbrella organisation of more than 150 professional societies--and by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (NASHIP) in 2003. The programme provides a conceptual basis for disease management, focussing on high priority healthcare topics and aiming at the implementation of best practice recommendations for prevention, acute care, rehabilitation and chronic care. It is organised by the German Agency for Quality in Medicine, a founding member of the Guidelines International Network G-I-N.

[Experiences from practical guideline development--proposal of a more standardized guideline development process].

In this article, the authors of the ,,General Practitioners' Guideline for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Urinary Incontinence" describe the logical and procedural steps involved in the development process of this evidence-based GPs' guideline for the management of urinary incontinence. Specifically, the following factors have been identified as crucial for a successful primary care guideline development process: The work group (authors) should comply in size with current recommendations for successful project work teams. It is recommended that authors should belong to opposing ends of the spectrum of practical versus theoretical medicine.

[German Society for General Medicine--guidelines for urinary incontinence: content and development].

In this article, the authors of the "General Practitioners' Guideline to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Urinary Incontinence" describe the historical development of this evidence-based GPs' guideline for the management of urinary incontinence. The guideline's history is focused around the following points: 1. reasons for choosing the subject matter, 2.