Translating research evidence into healthy policy recommendations using the GRADE methodology

Saturday, April 29, 2023

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Location: Convention Center: 140 A

CE: Live CME: 1.50

Leader(s)

Souvik Mitra, MD, MSc, PhD, FRCPC (he/him/his)

Associate Professor
Pediatrics
Dalhousie University & IWK Health
Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Co-Leader(s)

Roger Soll, MD

Professor
Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
Hinesburg, Vermont, United States
SH

Susanne Hay, MD

Harvard Medical School; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, United States
DE

Danielle Ehret, MD, MPH (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Asfaw Yemiru Green and Gold Professor of Global Health
University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, United States
JZ

John Zupancic, MD ScD (he/him/his)

Associate Chief of Neonatology
Neonatology
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Disclosure(s):

Souvik Mitra, MD, MSc, PhD, FRCPC: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Roger F. Soll, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Susanne Hay, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Danielle Ehret, MD, MPH: No financial relationships to disclose

John Zupancic, MD ScD: Sera Prognostics: Consultant (Ongoing)

Workshop

Description: The COVID pandemic has highlighted the importance of developing evidence-based recommendations that are transparent and trustworthy. It requires best available evidence and clinical experience to conscientiously work with the values and preferences of families to create policy recommendations that involve trading off the benefits with the potential harms. The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methodology provides a structured process to incorporate these elements to move from evidence to recommendations.
The workshop will include a brief didactic session introducing the concept of GRADE evidence-to-decision framework, followed by a hands-on-workshop where the participants will work through important components of the framework to formulate a health policy recommendation. We will use the conundrum of ideal oxygen saturation target in premature newborns requiring oxygen therapy as an example as the topic is relevant to Pediatricians globally. The participants will be provided with evidence summaries from updated Cochrane reviews. Audience polling will be used to evaluate variability in values and preferences of participants with respect to patient-important outcomes and demonstrate how that affects a healthy policy recommendation.
The participants will be divided into 4 groups. Each group will be provided with a task aligned with one or more components of the evidence-to-decision framework. The groups will initially discuss and work through their respective tasks (10 minutes); report back on their work and engage in a brief discussion (10-15 minutes). We will leave the last 20 minutes to summarize the essential components of the framework to formulate a final policy recommendation.

Learning Objectives:

Describe the components of GRADE evidence-to-decision framework
Apply the concept of incorporating family values and preferences to health policy decisions
Judge the balance of desirable and undesirable effects of a healthy policy intervention with respect to patient important outcomes