GUIDELINE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS This guideline was developed in accordance with the evidence-informed guideline development methods described in the WHO handbook for guideline development (WHO, 2014a). The process included: identification of priority questions and outcomes; retrieval of evidence, assessment and synthesis of the evidence; formulation of recommendations; and planning for the implementation, dissemination, impact evaluation and updating of the guideline.
WHO STEERING GROUP The WHO Steering Group that guided the entire guideline development process comprised WHO staff members from the Departments of MCA; MSD; Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention; HIV/AIDS; Nutrition for Health and Development; Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health; Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals; and Reproductive Health and Research (see Annex 3 for the list of members). Regional advisors from WHO regions also participated in the process. The Steering Group drafted the initial scope of the guideline; identified individuals to be invited to participate as the guideline methodologist and as members of the systematic review teams, the members of the GDG and the External Review Group; supervised the evidence retrieval and synthesis; organized the GDG meeting and subsequent teleconferences; drafted recommendations; and finalized and published the guideline document. The Steering Group will oversee dissemination of the guideline.
GUIDELINE DEVELOPMENT GROUP The GDG included experts, programme implementers and civil society representatives from the WHO regions (see Annex 4 for the list of members). The members reviewed available information regarding the number of children failing to achieve their developmental potential, the range of interventions proven to improve ECD outcomes and the status of programmes promoting and supporting ECD.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW TEAMS Two groups were commissioned to conduct systematic reviews relevant to the key questions identified during the scoping meeting: 1. Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. 2. Human Development Research Foundation, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, together with University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; CMH Lahore Medical College and Institute of Dentistry, Lahore Cantt, Pakistan. The systematic reviews were presented at the GDG meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, 1 – 3 May 2018. The GDG requested additional analyses that were incorporated into updated versions of both systematic reviews. The revised reviews were considered at a virtual meeting (teleconference) of the GDG on 17 September 2018. They were then finalized in November 2018. The list of systematic review authors is presented in Annex 5. The discussions around each of the key questions, from evidence to recommendations, were assisted by the GRADE methodologist.
Guideline development process
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