Harmonizing Guidelines and Other Clinical Practice Documents: A Joint Comprehensive Methodology Manual by the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), European Society of Thoracic Surgeons

This methodology manual is the result of a collaboration between the governing bodies of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS), and Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) to present a comprehensive pathway for creating multidisciplinary clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). CPGs are essential documents that provide practical recommendations designed to enhance patient care and inform healthcare practices. This document integrates existing independent methodologies into a singular collaborative methodology, further enriched by adopting the basic development standards proposed by key stakeholders.