About > Content
Overview > Classification Scheme
NGC Classification Scheme
Overview
The National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) uses controlled vocabulary
concepts to classify various guideline attributes contained in the
NGC Complete Summary.
This standard "classification scheme" is designed to facilitate
searching and retrieving information from the NGC Web site. In addition, the classification
scheme attempts to standardize key guideline attributes to facilitate review of the
guidelines, as well as comparisons between guidelines, particularly in the areas of
methodology.
NGC classifies the following attributes:
New vocabulary concepts are added to the classification scheme
as needed.
The following concepts are used to classify the clinical specialties that might use the
guideline professionally:
- Allergy and Immunology
- Anesthesiology
- Cardiology
- Chiropractic
- Colon and Rectal Surgery
- Critical Care
- Dentistry
- Dermatology
- Emergency Medicine
- Endocrinology
- Family Practice
- Gastroenterology
- Geriatrics
- Hematology
- Infectious Diseases
- Internal Medicine
- Medical Genetics
- Nephrology
- Neurological Surgery
- Neurology
- Nuclear Medicine
- Nursing
- Nutrition
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Oncology
- Ophthalmology
- Optometry
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Otolaryngology
- Pathology
- Pediatrics
- Pharmacology
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Plastic Surgery
- Podiatry
- Preventive Medicine
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Radiation Oncology
- Radiology
- Rheumatology
- Sleep Medicine
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Sports Medicine
- Surgery
- Thoracic Surgery
- Urology
Return to Top
NGC uses Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) produced by the
U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), along with
other controlled vocabularies, such as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD),
incorporated into NLM's Unified
Medical Language System (UMLS) to classify disease concepts related to NGC guidelines.
Return to Top
The following concepts are used to classify the major focus of each guideline:
- Assessment of Therapeutic Effectiveness
- Counseling
- Diagnosis
- Evaluation
- Management
- Prevention
- Rehabilitation
- Risk Assessment
- Screening
- Technology Assessment
- Treatment
Return to Top
The following concepts are used to identify tools used in the implementation of the guideline:
- Audit Criteria/Indicators
- Chart Documentation/Checklists/Forms
- Clinical Algorithm
- Foreign Language Translations
- Patient Resources
- Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) Downloads
- Pocket Guide/Reference Cards
- Quality Measures
- Quick Reference Guides/Physician Guides
- Resources
- Slide Presentation
- Staff Training/Competency Material
- Tool Kits
- Wall Poster
Return to Top
The following concepts are used to classify the IOM Care Need categories that apply to the
guideline's primary clinical component:
- End of Life Care
- Getting Better
- Living with Illness
- Staying Healthy
Return to Top
The following concepts are used to classify the IOM Domain categories that apply to the
guideline's primary clinical component:
- Effectiveness
- Patient Centeredness
- Safety
- Timeliness
Return to Top
The following concepts are used to classify the intended users of each guideline:
- Advanced Practice Nurses
- Allied Health Personnel
- Chiropractors
- Clinical Laboratory Personnel
- Dentists
- Dietitians
- Emergency Medical Technicians/Paramedics
- Health Care Providers
- Health Plans
- Hospitals
- Managed Care Organizations
- Nurses
- Occupational Therapists
- Optometrists
- Pathology Assistants
- Patients
- Pharmacists
- Physical Therapists
- Physician Assistants
- Physicians
- Podiatrists
- Psychologists/Non-physician Behavioral Health Clinicians
- Public Health Departments
- Respiratory Care Practitioners
- Social Workers
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Students
- Substance Use Disorders Treatment Providers
- Utilization Management
Return to Top
The following concepts are used to summarize the methods used to review or validate the
recommendations of the guideline. Validation is defined as "the results of any
external review, comparison with guidelines from other groups or clinical testing of
guideline use" (Hayward RS, Wilson MC, Tunis SR, et al. More informative abstracts of
articles describing clinical practice guidelines, Ann Intern Med 1993 May 1;118[9]:731-7).
- Clinical Validation-Pilot Testing
- Clinical Validation-Trial Implementation Period
- Comparison with Guidelines from Other Groups
- External Peer Review
- Internal Peer Review
- Peer Review
Return to Top
The following concepts are used to classify the methods used by the guideline
developer(s) to evaluate the data in the evidence they obtained:
- Decision Analysis
- Meta-Analysis
- Meta-Analysis of Individual Patient Data
- Meta-Analysis of Observational Trials
- Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
- Meta-Analysis of Summarized Patient Data
- Review
- Review of Published Meta-Analyses
- Systematic Review
- Systematic Review with Evidence Tables
Return to Top
The following concepts are used to classify methods used by the guideline developer to
determine what relative importance to give to the evidence they obtained.
- Expert Consensus
- Expert Consensus (Committee)
- Expert Consensus (Delphi Method)
- Subjective Review
- Weighting According to a Rating Scheme (Scheme Given)
- Weighting According to a Rating Scheme (Scheme Not Given)
Return to Top
The following concepts are used to classify methods used by the guideline developers to
collect the evidence that was evaluated:
- Hand-searches of Published Literature (Primary Sources)
- Hand-searches of Published Literature (Secondary Sources)
- Searches of Electronic Databases
- Searches of Patient Registry Data
- Searches of Unpublished Data
Return to Top
The following concepts are used to classify methods used by the guideline developers to formulate the guideline recommendations:
- Informal Expert Consensus
- Expert Consensus
- Expert Consensus (Delphi Method)
- Expert Consensus (Nominal Group Technique)
- Expert Consensus (Consensus Development Conference)
- Balance Sheets
Return to Top
The following concepts are used to classify the guideline developer(s), guideline
endorser(s), and issuing organization(s) by major designation or function:
- Academic Institution
- Disease Specific Society
- Federal Government Agency (U.S.)
- Hospital/Medical Center
- Independent Expert Panel
- International Agency
- Managed Care Organization
- Manufacturer
- Medical Specialty Society
- National Government Agency (Non-U.S.)
- Nursing Home/Extended Care Facility
- Private Nonprofit Organization
- Private Nonprofit Research Organization
- Private For Profit Organization
- Private For Profit Research Organization
- Professional Association
- Public For Profit Organization
- State/Local Government Agency (U.S.)
- State/Local Government Agency (Non-U.S.)
Return to Top
For the purposes of searching, NGC classifies the target population by age and sex. The
following concepts are used:
- Infant, Newborn (to 1 month)
- Infant (1 to 23 months)
- Child (2 to 12 years)
- Adolescent (13 to 18 years)
- Adult (19 to 44 years)
- Middle Age (45 to 64 years)
- Aged (65 to 79 years)
- Aged, 80 and over
- Male
- Female
Return to Top
NGC uses Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) produced by the
U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), along with
other controlled vocabularies, such as the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration
(HCFA) Common Procedure Coding System and ECRI's Universal Medical Device Nomenclature
System (UMDNS), incorporated into NLM's
Unified Medical Language System
(UMLS) to classify treatment/intervention concepts related to NGC guidelines.
Return to Top