Statements – There are two types of statements; policy statements
and research statements. Policy statements present ATS positions on
issues that pertain to bioethics, public health policy, health care
financing and delivery, medical education, and governmental policy. Research statements
present ATS positions on issues that pertain to governmental funding of
research, future research needs and initiatives, and other issues that
promote or hinder pulmonary, critical care, and sleep research.
Workshop Reports - Workshop reports are summaries of
conferences and workshops that were sponsored by the ATS. While most of
the content in the report should derive from the conference or
workshop, additional discussions and further development of ideas
following the conference or workshop are acceptable.
Clinical Practice Guidelines - Clinical practice
guidelines make diagnostic and treatment recommendations that assist
physicians, other healthcare practitioners, and patients to make
decisions about the appropriate course of action in specific clinical
situations. They are developed by a multidisciplinary committee, which
must include individuals with prior experience in the development of
guidelines, systematic reviews, and/or a GRADE-based project.
Clinical Statements- Clinical statements are like
clinical practice guidelines in that they make diagnostic and treatment
recommendations. Recommendations must be informed by a systematic review
of the evidence; however, they do not require that the GRADE approach
be used to write and grade recommendations.
Technical Statements - Technical statements describe
how to perform a test or procedure. They do not compare tests or
procedures, nor do they identify populations to which a test or
procedure should be applied. Technical statements should be based upon
evidence, but they do not require a full or pragmatic systematic review
of the literature.
For a more detailed description of Statements, Guidelines, Technical Standards & Reports please click here.
For a more detailed explanation of document development including
policies and procedures, Methodological tools for systematic reviews and
guideline development, and more examples of each type of ATS Document,
please visit our ATS page on Documents Development by clicking here.