Table 1 Institute of Medicine standards for trustworthy guidelines (2011)

Transparency: details on guideline development and funding are explicit and publicly accessible

Management of conflicts of interest: prior to finalizing guideline, panelists being considered for membership should declare all interests and activities potentially resulting in conflicts, and all conflicts should be minimized

Guideline group composition is multidisciplinary with methodological expertise and including patient and community involvement

Use of systematic reviews for guideline questions

Establishing evidence foundations for and rating strength of recommendations

Clear articulation of recommendations

External review by a full spectrum of stakeholders (e.g. scientific and clinical experts, patients and community representatives)