Appendix IV

Role and Responsibilities of the USPSTF Topic Work Group Lead

How designated?

AHRQ staff will solicit volunteers for position from among assigned topic leads at the time work assignment is sent to the EPC (or, for internally reviewed topics, once the medical officer has a complete work assignment and commences work).

What are the roles?

At start of, and throughout a topic:

• Scheduling of EPC/TF lead calls will take this individual’s schedule into account first. The Topic Work Group lead should be particularly prompt responding to request to schedule calls.
• The calls may be scheduled if and only if this individual plus at least one other Task Force topic lead can be on the call.
• Other members of the topic workgroup who cannot make a scheduled call can direct comments prior to or after a call to a) the Topic Workgroup lead b) all parties, e.g., via E-mail or c) the AHRQ medical officer on the topic.

Near the Task Force meeting at which the topic will be voted:

• At the call with the EPC to go over the draft evidence review, and the subsequent call for the TF leads on the topic prior to the task force meeting, the Topic Workgroup Lead is responsible for leading the process of assessing the grouped evidence on each key question by use of one of the following categories: Convincing, Adequate, or Inadequate.
• It is expected that the EPC will provide quality ratings of individual studies, and group the evidence by key question together in a summary table for the draft report.
• In addition, the other "lead" responsibilities that the Topic Workgroup lead and the medical officer will facilitate the group in completing during these calls are:
  • Assessment of certainty of net benefit across all the key questions in the analytic framework
  • Assessment of magnitude of impact of the intervention
  • Proposed grade(s) (arrived at from the intersection of the two preceding elements)

It is an expectation that this individual be responsible for presenting the certainty and grade proposal at the TF meeting.

[Approved by USPSTF At July 2007 Meeting]

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