The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is revising the Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA). This CPG was published in September 2020, and we are now beginning the process of revising or reaffirming the CPG. We are asking for volunteers to participate in the guideline development group (GDG). The GDG is the authoring group of the CPG.
The GDG determines the scope of topics to be covered within the identified guideline, formulates questions, develops, and agrees on the recommendations, synthesizes the literature, writes the recommendations, and organizes the CPG for draft review and final publication. Group members work directly with consultant, people of interest groups and journal editors to develop the final guideline document. Specific duties typically include formulating PICO(T)/PECOT questions, conducting systematic reviews, rating quality of evidence, preparing evidence summaries and background documents for recommendation discussions, making recommendations, developing, and writing the guideline, and reviewing comments from people of interest and public consultation.
APTA has contracted with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Evidence-Based Medicine Unit to assist in the development of this CPG. The AAOS Committee on Evidence Based Quality and Value has a long track record to spearhead initiatives to promote, educate and develop Evidence Based Medicine products such as CPGs and APTA has provided member experts for many of their guideline development and implementation initiatives. Their role for this CPG is to manage the process and perform the background work to allow the workgroup to make actionable recommendations.