JTS RESPONSIBILITIES
The following list outlines the responsibilities of the JTS during the CPG creation process.
- Identify and communicate with first author and other lead authors. Ensure first author has the appropriate credentials to be the lead author. Such credentials include experience with the topic, and ideally operational and/or deployed experience when appropriate.
- Adjudicate the author list to ensure it represents the Services.
- For CPGs requiring an update, reach out to previous CPG authors and determine whether they desire to lead or contribute to the update.
- Gather and invite civilian leaders/authorities on the topic and ensure that they are in communication with the first author and know their responsibility as a Subject Matter Expert (SME).
- When appropriate, invite international collaborators and authorities to contribute to the CPG and ensure that the first author is in contact with them.
- Assign data pulls to data scientists and ensure the data pull is up to date and appropriately addresses the clinical questions of the CPG.
- Keep Performance Improvement (PI), Data Science, Research and Registry Branches all informed on the CPG.
- Ensure PI metrics are reviewed by the PI, Registry and Data Science Branches. Determine which PI metrics can be automated from the documentation.
- Work closely with the Clinical Forms Work Group to ensure that the relevant clinical elements for the CPG are appropriately captured.
- Conduct the following reviews:
- Final review of CPG
- Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership, Personnel, Facilities, and Policy (DOTMLP-P) review
- Clinical data element review
- PI metric review
- Review all the pertinent relevant literature and ensure CPG contains as much recent data as available.
- Communicate with Medical Logistics Command (MEDLOG) on which CPG is being updated and ensure it initiates the creation of the JTS CPG MEDLOG Package.
- Generate the infographic for the CPG.
- Create Supplemental History and Physical (H&P) form when appropriate.
LEAD / FIRST AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITIES
The following list outlines the responsibilities of the lead author or first author for a new or updated CPG:
- Unify the product and team (“herd the cats”). This is the most challenging responsibility, especially for CPGs with many authors.
- Ensure that each author contributes to the CPG. There are two recommended approaches to this:
- Break the CPG into sections and assign an author (or a team of authors) to draft each section.
- Write the first draft of the CPG and send it out to all authors to contribute and edit.
Either option is acceptable, and the division of the workload is ultimately at the first author’s discretion, but all authors must have substantial contribution.
- Be inclusive. Communicate with all authors, the SMEs, and international authors who were recommended by the JTS CPG Branch.
- Ensure all authors contribute to reaching a consensus that the CPG meets academic standards.
- Include the most recent and relevant data. Communicate with the JTS CPG team to ensure that the most updated data from the Department of Defense Trauma Registry (DoDTR) are reviewed.
- Review references and update bibliography. Ensure up to date references are used to update CPG as appropriate.
- If materiel/MEDLOG products are identified (medications/ventilators/dressings/equipment/devices, etc.), meet with the CPG team early as possible once JTS has a partnership within MEDLOG who performs concurrent updates on the CPG. The authors will have a chance to review and adjudicate the MEDLOG list.
- Remember, a CPG is not a review article. The first author should put themselves in the point of view of being a forward deployed caregiver with little experience on the topic the CPG addresses, and that this inexperienced provider has the patient in front of them. Therefore, the CPG should be written in such a way that rapid clinical guidance highlighting key, salient, life-saving points can be easily identified while reviewing the CPG.