Guideline 65: The immediate discharge document

The immediate discharge document
Section 5: Development of the manual

5.1 Introduction

SIGN is a collaborative network of clinicians and other healthcare professionals, funded by the Scottish Executive Health Department. SIGN guidelines are developed by multidisciplinary groups using a standard methodology based on a systematic review of the evidence. Further details about SIGN and the guideline development methodology are contained in “SIGN 50: A Guideline developer’s handbook” available at www.sign.ac.uk

5.2 The guideline development group

Professor Zygmunt H Krukowski	Consultant in General Surgery, (Chairman) Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Dr Janet Bennison	Specialist Registrar in Geriatric and General Internal Medicine, Borders General Hospital,(Secretary) Melrose
Dr James Alcock	General Practitioner, Cowdenbeath
Dr Marion Bain	Consultant in Public Health Medicine, Information and Statistics Division, Edinburgh
Dr Andrew J Buist	General Practitioner, Blairgowrie
Mrs Monica Inglis	Associate Director of Nursing, Forth Valley Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Mr David Large	Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Ayr Hospital
Mrs Ann Richards	Chief Officer, Forth Valley Health Council
Mr Vincent M Summers	Chief Pharmacist, Borders General Hospital, Melrose
Mr Duncan Service	Information Services Officer, SIGN
Dr Paul Syme	Consultant Physician, Borders General Hospital, Melrose
Ms Joanne Topalian	Programme Manager, SIGN

The guideline development group is grateful to the following former members:

Ms Rhona Agnew	District Nurse, Glasgow
Mr Peter Ashe	ECCI Project Team, ISD
Ms Audrey Stacey	Senior Information Consultant (retired), ISD

The membership of the guideline development group was confirmed following consultation with the member organisations of SIGN. Declarations of interests were made by all members of the guideline development group. Further details are available from the SIGN Executive.

5.3 National open meeting

The national open meeting is the main consultative phase of SIGN guideline development, at which the development group presents its draft recommendations for the first time. The national open meeting for this document was held in January 2002 and was attended by representatives of all of the key specialties relevant to the document. The draft document was also available on the SIGN website for a limited period at this stage to allow those unable to attend the meeting to contribute to the development of the document.

5.4 Specialist review

The manual was also reviewed in draft form by a panel of independent expert referees, who were asked to comment primarily on the comprehensiveness and accuracy of interpretation of the evidence base supporting the recommendations in the document. SIGN is very grateful to all of these experts for their contribution to this document.

Dr James Beattie	Director of Guidelines, Royal College of General Practitioners, Edinburgh
Dr Laura Cassidy	Consultant Gynaecologist, Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Greenock
Dr James Chalmers	Consultant in Public Health Medicine, ISD, Edinburgh
Mr Donald Coxon	Chief Pharmacist, Queen Margaret Hospital, Fife
Dr Gareth Davies	Medical Director, Forth Valley Primary Care Trust, Larbert
Ms Lyndsey Davidson	LHCC Administrator, West Fife Local Health Service
Mrs Fiona Halcrow	Directorate Manager, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
Ms Kate Harley	Head of Data Intelligence Group, ISD, Edinburgh
Mr Douglas Harper	Consultant Surgeon, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Dr Mike Hendry	General Practitioner, Cupar Health Centre
Ms Susan Hunter	District Nurse, Stenhousemuir
Dr Ken McLean	General Practitioner, Carronbank Health Centre, Denny
Dr Robin Mann	Health Informatics Unit, Royal College of Physicians, London
Dr Dorothy Moir	Director of Public Health, Lanarkshire Health Board
Dr Rod Muir	Consultant in Public Health Medicine, ISD, Edinburgh
Dr Gillian Penney	Programme Co-ordinator, Scottish Programme for Clinical Effectiveness in Reproductive Health, Aberdeen
Ms Nicola Ring	Lecturer, Department of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Stirling
Dr Ian Reeves	Acting Consultant Physician, Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow
Ms Fiona Smith	RCN Adviser in Paediatric Nursing
Ms Jan Warner	Director of Reviews, Clinical Standards Board for Scotland

The document was then reviewed by an Editorial Group comprised of relevant specialty representatives from SIGN Council, to ensure that the peer reviewers’ comments had been addressed adequately and that any risk of bias in the guideline development process as a whole had been minimised. The Editorial Group for this document was as follows:

Dr Jonathan Best	Association of Trust Chief Executives
Professor Ian Campbell	Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh
Mr Robert Carachi	Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
Professor Gordon Lowe	Chairman of SIGN, Co-editor
Dr Gawn Mcllwaine	Royal College of Ophthalmologists
Miss Tracy Nairn	Allied Health Professionals
Dr Safia Qureshi	SIGN Programme Director, Co- editor