Purpose

The purpose of developing clinical practice guidelines is to provide an important educational tool to clinicians and to assist practitioners and patients in making decisions about appropriate healthcare for specific clinical circumstances.

An update to the ATS/IDSA 2019 Clinical Practices Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Community-acquired Pneumonia (CAP) in Adults will begin in 2022. This update will be a joint effort with the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). The guideline will be overseen by ATS.

For this update, IDSA is seeking the following:

• 1 volunteer clinical/physician chair to co-lead the guideline panel (NOTE: Panel will be co-chaired by an ATS expert member as well as a technical method expert)
• 9 clinical/physician expert members to participate in the guideline panel

Responsibilities

Chair:

• Oversee the timely completion of clinical practice guidelines according to the processes outlined in the ATS Handbook for Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines and those provided by ATS staff.
• Co-lead and participate in panel meetings.
• Co-lead the development of up to six clinical questions to be addressed.
• Provide input and feedback on all data analyses, including meta-analyses.
• Co-lead the panel through the discussion of the evidence synthesis prepared by the methodology team.
• Oversee the fair and equitable deliberation and approval of guideline recommendations.
• Along with the ATS co-chair, assume primary responsibility for drafting the manuscript (sections may be drafted by individual panel members).
• Co-lead the development of responses to comments received as part of the review and approval process.
• Participate in the review of guideline derivative products.
• Participate in and adhere to the principles of ATS-provided formal training on guideline development.
• Participate in post-development guideline dissemination activities as needed, which may include participation on a panel during IDWeek and ATS’s Annual Meeting.

Panelist:

• Help identify up to six important and relevant clinical questions to be addressed.
• Assist in the selection of patient-important outcomes.
• Provide input and feedback on all data analyses, including meta-analyses.
• Help develop recommendations.
• Assist in drafting the manuscript
• Participate in and adhere to the principles of ATS-provided training on guideline development.

Required Qualifications

Chair:

• IDSA member with clinical expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in adults and extensive knowledge of current practices and published scientific literature.
• Familiarity with principles of evidence-based medicine, the development of clinical practice guidelines and their implementation into clinical practice.
• Holds no perceived conflicts of interest, as defined in the ATS’s Conflict of Interest Policy for Clinical Practice Guidelines, throughout the guideline development process and up to one year after the publication of the guideline.
• A commitment to adhere to the GRADE methodology and the guideline development timeline (see ATS Handbook for Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines for more information).
• Strong leadership and diplomatic skills with experience in group facilitation, focusing on the fair and equitable participation of all members and perspectives.

Panelist:

• Relevant expertise and/or published literature related to the guideline topic.
• Expertise in infection control and antimicrobial stewardship.
• Extensive knowledge of and experience in clinical practice.
• Familiarity with the development of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and implementation into clinical practice.
• A commitment to adhere to the GRADE methodology and the guideline development timeline (see ATS Handbook for Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines for more information).
• Good organizational skills and attention to detail.

Ideal Qualifications

Chair:

• Research expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in adults actively publishing research findings.
• IDSA Fellow based on achievements in academic, research, clinical, administration, or other fields.
• Prior experience serving on an IDSA guideline panel.
• High emotional intelligence and strong conflict resolution skills with experience mediating disagreements and facilitating compromise.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, willingness to delegate appropriately and lead by example to ensure that the guideline is completed in a timely manner.

How to Apply

• Complete the application (see link above), which includes describing your interest in serving as a panel member and your relevant experience for this project.
• Upload your resume or CV.
• Complete the ATS conflict of interest disclosure form. (NOTE: after you have submitted your application, you will receive a separate link to complete your disclosure form.)

Guideline Development Timeline

ATS and IDSA strive to complete most guidelines within 18-24 months. Therefore, it is critical that the chair and panel members be committed to the completion of a guideline within the expected timeframe. The guideline is due for submission for peer review by December 31, 2023.

Meeting Frequency

Meetings to be held at least once a month, as needed, by phone or video. Panel members will be asked to respond to email communications on a regular basis at all stages of the guideline development process.

Estimated Time Commitment

Chair: 10-15 hours per month; Panelist: 2-4 hours per month. Time commitments will vary depending on the stage of guideline development.

Appointment

Chair: The IDSA Standards and Practice Guidelines Committee (SPGC) Chair, Vice Chair, and Board liaison to the SPGC will review the list of candidates and approve the final chair.

Panelist: The IDSA Standards and Practice Guidelines Committee (SPGC) Chair, Vice Chair, and Board liaison to the SPGC will review the list of candidates and approve the final panel. Participation on the guideline panel will only be confirmed following review of potential conflicts of interest.