Practice Parameter Development Process

The Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters (JTFPP) is composed of six representatives from the AAAAI and six representatives from the ACAAI. Qualified candidates are nominated and screened by the JTFPP prior to selection and appointment by the sponsoring organizations (AAAAI or ACAAI) to a 5-year term, renewable once.

JTFPP Member Qualifications

• Command of the allergy/immunology published literature and clinical experience in allergy/immunology.
• Experience or training in the development and writing of guidelines, prior experience serving in a JTFPP workgroup, and/or skills in GRADE guideline development and statistical analysis.
• Leadership abilities.

By mutual agreement, practice parameters developed by the Joint Task Force are published alternately in a journal of the AAAAI (Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology or Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology:In Practice) and a journal of the ACAAAI (Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology). When guidelines are considered “new” in terms of subject and content they are in a separate rotation from “updates”. When an existing guideline is “updated”, it will be published in a journal of the sponsoring organization which had not received the most recent prior (new or updated) guideline on the same topic. The sponsoring organizations will be notified by the JTFPP co-chairs (once the workgroup chair and members have been approved) that the development of the guideline has started and will indicate the sponsoring organization slated to receive the completed guideline for publication. This will be posted on the website along with the workgroup chair, JTFPP liaison, and workgroup members.  

Published guidelines are posted on the website of the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters (http://www.allergyparameters.org) as well as on the websites of the AAAAI and ACAAI and may also be obtained from the journal in which they are published. 

• Guidelines should be based on state-of-the art up-to-date medical evidence.
• Guidelines should allow for variations in practice depending on specific clinical situations and on the judgment of the provider. Management of patients should be individualized based on best evidence.
• Guidelines should not include statements that support unproven tests or inappropriate use of proven tests.

Workgroups are composed of dedicated individuals and led by the workgroup chair(s) and JTFPP liaison. The JTFPP works to minimize, mitigate, and balance all conflicts of interest. Workgroups strive to balance allergists/immunologists with both pediatric and adult expertise, with representation of the world’s leading experts on the relevant guideline topic to guide an approach that is frequently multidisciplinary.  

Each draft guideline produced by the workgroup is reviewed by the full JTFPP after appropriate revision by the workgroup chair and JTFPP liaison.  Subsequently the guideline draft is reviewed by both AAAAI and the ACAAI appointed reviewers and public comment is elicited.   The JTFPP produces a point-by-point response to each reviewer comment provided by the sponsoring organizations.  Once appropriate recommendations have been incorporated into the document, the guideline is submitted to the respective journal of the AAAAI or ACAAI. Guidelines about new topics are submitted to the preferred journal of the respective parent organization who has not published the most recent guideline on a novel topic.  Guidelines providing updates on prior topics are submitted to the preferred journal of the respective parent organization who did not published the most recent update on the respective topic. 

Guidelines include a disclosure statement highlighting the need for individualized patient care in all circumstances and rapid development of new medical knowledge, information on authorship, and reprint requests.  Many guidelines include an introductory preface that includes background on the specific topic and its importance, a review of new developments, glossary, executive summary, algorithm, annotations, recommendations or consensus based statements, evidence based commentary, and implementation tools.