Information for CPG committee members
The CPG Committee is made up of a broad group of clinicians from General Paediatrics, Emergency Medicine and General Practice, including doctors (consultants and trainees), nurses and allied health practitioners from health services across New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia.
- Committee meetings are held via MS Teams from 3-4pm (AEST) on the 1st Thursday and 3rd Wednesday of every month. Specific meeting information is sent via email closer to the date
- Providing feedback prior to the committee meeting
- CPG drafts are circulated to the Committee via email & MS Teams prior to the meeting (approximately 4 weeks)
- Feedback on circulated CPGs is usually due on the Monday prior to the CPG meeting (dates may vary)
- Feedback on drafts should be sent to the CPG Fellow, full Committee or CPG author, where appropriate, prior to the CPG Committee meeting
- Feedback is provided as comments within the circulated CPG draft Word document
- Feedback includes the option of an approval comment or 'like' from committee members, submitted to demonstrate that the CPG has been reviewed and no changes are suggested
- Feedback is required from all participating states, for each CPG draft, provided by email and/or committee meeting attendance
- Committee meetings
- Working meetings: the CPG for review is presented and discussed as a group, including feedback received from pre-meeting draft circulation
- By video conference and onsite at RCH
- Quorum: 5 Committee members, at least 2 consultants
- Facilitated by the Chair:
- Meetings are chaired by a CPG Development Group consultant
- The author of the CPG being discussed presents the draft (Supervisor attending, if possible)
- A member of the CPG Development Group supports the author to present and lead discussion, as well as make real time changes to the draft
- Another CPG Development Group member takes minutes of the meeting, documenting decisions and outcomes from the meeting. These are circulated to the committee after the meeting.
- We promote open and respectful discussions and constructive debate during meetings in order to develop robust evidence and consensus based guidelines in a supportive and collaborative environment.
- Any state specific differences eg first line antibiotics, services, resources, are discussed during the meeting and incorporated as required. If these differences are recurrent or pervasive, alternative mechanisms are developed to facilitate user access and maintain CPG usability eg local antimicrobial guidelines webpage
- The committee meeting aim is to achieve final consensus (general agreement) on the recommendations within the CPG; this is gained by open discussion
- The meeting is facilitated by the Chair to ensure the discussion is collaborative and with balanced contribution from all members
- Feedback provided by email is collated by the CPG Development Group and presented during the committee meeting at the appropriate time, to inform consensus decisions
- When consensus is not achieved during a meeting, the post meeting editing process is utilised to further discuss options for recommendations or gain specialist clarification
- Post meeting editing
- After the committee meeting, some final editing may be required; this is done by the author, supervisor and CPG Development Group
- At times, the final CPG draft is re-circulated to committee members involved in the review process, or the broader CPG committee
- On occasions, a second committee meeting is required
Information for CPG authors and supervisors
Development of new and updated CPGs should follow and comply with:
Each CPG author is supported by a supervising consultant from the CPG committee.
A CPG Fellow is also allocated to assist the author and supervisor throughout the process.
Extended review
CPGs are developed or reviewed by a primary author, usually supported by a supervising consultant from the CPG committee.
This support includes:
- initial advice regarding the aim/s and direction of the CPG
- follow up support by reviewing the draft, including proof reading prior to circulation to the Committee
CPGs are emailed to the Committee for review 4 weeks prior to Committee meetings. At Committee meetings, the draft CPG is discussed from start to finish, to ensure that the aim/s of the CPG are met and each point of information or advice conveys the appropriate message. This may include edits or suggested changes to language, clinical information, structure or formatting.
A final draft is completed by the original author for either resubmission to the Committee, or submission for final checks by the CPG Development Group prior to publication on the website.
Timeline for extended review of a CPG
- Allocation of a CPG topic to the primary author at least 8 weeks prior to the scheduled date for presentation at a CPG Committee meeting.
- Draft submission to CPG fellow is due at least 6 weeks prior to the scheduled date for presentation and then distributed to CPG Committee via email 4 weeks prior to the scheduled date for presentation.
- Committee members can provide feedback regarding the draft via email to the distribution list or contact a CPG fellow directly prior to the scheduled date for presentation at a CPG Committee meeting, deadlines for feedback are published with circulation of the draft.
Streamlined review process
This process was implemented to ensure that all CPGs, particularly those less likely to change significantly over time, are up to date with content and formatting. This review includes a literature review, undertaken by a CPG fellow, with supervision by a CPG consultant. Subspecialists or relevant stakeholders may be contacted during the process for specific questions. Feedback from PIC representatives is also sought to ensure the CPGs remain widely applicable. If significant changes are required the CPG committee will be consulted.
CPG Committee meeting dates and topics
See the CPG calendar
Last updated May 2024