Back to customer servicesProfessional societies and guideline working groups

The guideline is published. Which new evidence merits another discussion?

The secretariat meets regularly and needs to avoid missing important studies or corrections.

How does this scope address your concerns?

You worry that “living updates” mean open-ended charges or that every scan will be described as a comprehensive systematic review.

When this scope fits

An existing published guideline and 5 fixed PICO questions with predefined update triggers.

When the scope needs adjusting

Unlimited annual guideline rewrites or creation of an entirely new evidence base without a baseline.

REAL SOURCES · ILLUSTRATIVE REQUEST · DOWNLOADABLE SAMPLE

Five existing PICOs with quarterly update decisions

Download sample packZIP

Quarterly surveillance and triggers

01
Scan five PICOs
Preserve dates, databases, additions and corrections
02
Compare baseline
Assess implications for evidence and discussion
03
No trigger / proposed update
No change still documented; scope and budget precede updates

Illustrative yearly service: five PICOs, quarterly scans, up to 500 new records and 40 full texts. Not a completed comprehensive review.

Check	Finding / sample content	Use
New trial	Check whether it matches an existing PICO	Explain against predefined triggers
Correction or retraction	Locate affected sources and conclusions	State whether urgent discussion is warranted
No trigger	No update does not mean no record	Deliver coverage, dates and rationale

SOURCES USED IN THIS EXAMPLE

NICE · Ensuring guidelines are current and accurate

Prepared 5 Oct 2026 · Selected references, not an exhaustive systematic search

Scope & acceptance

Work covered by the quote

Illustrative scope: surveillance of 5 existing PICO questions, quarterly scans, up to 500 new references and 40 full texts/year. A comprehensive systematic review is not included.

Pilot monitoring reference: CNY 60,000–150,000/year. Fictional annual monitoring of 5 PICO questions: CNY 60,000, paid as 15,000/quarter. A separately approved CNY 30,000 substantive update would receive its own scope; reusable completed search work is not charged twice.

Acceptance criteria

Predefined rules explain whether an update is warranted. Scans with no new evidence still record dates and coverage.

Checking the evidence

Volumes come from the current proposed pilot scope. The budget and scenario are illustrative, not a completed client project or real transaction. A formal quote follows confirmation of scope, data permissions and personnel.
Inputs to confirm: published guideline title and date, 5 PICO questions, prior evidence and search versions, and trigger thresholds. Monitoring retains search dates and correction records.

Workflow and inputs

From inputs to delivery

Explore the workflow and deliverable structure. This preview does not run searches, read real records or produce medical findings.

01 / WORKFLOW PREVIEW

Define the task

Choose 5 existing PICO questions, the guideline version and triggers.

Methods, sources and professional responsibilities

THE BASIS FOR THIS SCOPE

Why this approach? Inspect the basis.

Institutional decisions require effect evidence, resources, implementation conditions and local applicability.

OFFICIAL GUIDANCE

WHO Guidelines

World Health Organization

Inspect public-health and clinical guidance

Find WHO guidelines and review the recommendation questions, evidence base and intended settings.

Scope & access conditions

Global guidance is not evidence of local implementation outcomes. Check population, resources, policy and timing.

Open official source

PUBLIC DATABASE

Cochrane

Read systematic reviews and plain-language summaries

Explore a question’s research synthesis and the confidence researchers have in the findings.

Scope & access conditions

Plain-language summaries are public; full-review access varies. Applicability still depends on the population and question.

Open official source

METHOD REFERENCE

GRADE · Cochrane Handbook

Cochrane · Chapter 14

Show effect size and confidence separately

Present important outcomes, relative and absolute effects, available data and certainty, with reasons for downgrading.

Scope & access conditions

GRADE evaluates a body of evidence for a particular outcome. Database inclusion or one study does not automatically establish high certainty.

Open official source

These references support problem definition and evidence appraisal. Your conclusions still require project-specific sources and professional review.

The value of this commissionEOS prices surveillance separately from substantive update and records why a review trigger matters.

Guideline surveillance and updateCompare alternatives and value

Which recommendations need reconsideration, and which do not need a complete new review?

What to assess	Cochrane Response	Evidence OS · Commissioned scope
Service focus	Cochrane Response offers living and targeted review updates.	EOS prices surveillance separately from substantive update and records why a review trigger matters.
When to choose	A high-volume living review requires sustained methods and staffing.	Example: five baseline PICOs, four scans, up to 500 new records and 40 full texts.

What the fee pays for: Planning reference: CNY 60,000–150,000 annually for surveillance; resynthesis, statistics and recommendations are separate.
Value beyond this task: Retain searches, exclusion reasons, change events and prior recommendation evidence.
How to assess value: Track monitored questions, useful triggers and unnecessary repeat work avoided; do not claim automatic guideline revision.

Agree triggers, missed-record checks, ownership and update scheduling.

CHECK THE OFFICIAL SERVICE SCOPECochrane Response · Our evidence synthesis services

Reuse and updates after delivery

A PICO-organized change log shows future revision teams when a question arose and which study triggered it.

Agree reuse rights, retention and export periods, and future update fees when scoping.

Questions before commissioning

Is there a deliverable in a quarter with no new evidence?

Yes: dates, scan coverage and a no-update statement. Recommendation changes are not invented.

Does a new study automatically trigger extra charges?

No. Trigger reasons, substantive scope and budget are provided before work is approved and started.

Can I buy this online now?

Email us your scoping request at no charge. We’ll reply as soon as possible to confirm scope and prepare a quote. Services, professionals, contracts and payment are confirmed separately. This form does not accept medical-record attachments or sensitive images.

Define the delivery for your actual question.

Add your goal, available inputs and timing. Agree scope, review responsibilities and a quote before commissioning.

Request scope & quote

Explore other situations

Professional societies and guideline working groups

A guideline question needs updating. First assemble the changed evidence.

Updated searches, evidence and certainty tables, discussion worksheets and unresolved items, with evidence judgments, expert views and final recommendations recorded separately.

CNY 30,000–80,000 per PICO; a new full systematic review is priced separatelySee the deliverable