The advisory document Practical advice for incorporating lifestyle into guideline development has been published on the website of the Lifestyle in Healthcare Coalition.
Maud Heinen and Rosa Mennes, IQ Health, are involved in the guidelines team of the Lifestyle in Healthcare Coalition. In addition, Marijn de Bruin and Linda Kwakkenbos contributed as experts in the field of behavioral change, and Phillip van der Wees was involved in the sounding board group.
Lifestyle plays a crucial role in the development and progression of various conditions. However, many guidelines do not contain specific lifestyle recommendations or formulate them unclearly. This causes variation in the way healthcare providers give lifestyle advice and work together to integrate lifestyle into care pathways.
Expanding the scope of action for healthcare providers
This advisory document offers guideline developers practical tools for incorporating lifestyle into guidelines. The document focuses on substantiating and harmonizing lifestyle recommendations. It expands the scope of action for healthcare providers and strengthens collaboration between healthcare professionals.
Advice and tools for each phase of the guideline development process
The document presents advice for each phase of the guideline development process. Tools for guideline developers are included, such as sample lifestyle recommendations for various lifestyle factors, overviews of generic guidelines, search terms, and existing discussion aids.
The document offers guideline developers inspiration and practical solutions for issues surrounding lifestyle and guideline development.