The ICSI has updated guidelines

The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) has updated guidelines on Preventive Services for Children and Adolescents. (11/29/2005).

Key additions and changes are: • The annotation and discussion section have been combined. Any duplicated statements have been removed.• Some of the annotations will have Key Points at the beginning. This informs the reader of key recommendations, highlights, or information pertinent to the content of the annotation. • References in support of recommendations or information are listed in the body of the annotation. A complete list of references is included in the Supporting Evidence section of the guideline.
Algorithm, Clinical Highlights, Annotations:

This guideline was merged with the ICSI Preventive Counseling and Education Guideline, and the Lipid Screening Guideline. Key changes in the guideline as a result of the merge were: • The scope was altered to address average rather than low-risk children and adolescents. • Services were prioritized into three categories: high ranking, evidence-based services; lower ranking, evidence-based services; and services that address important health issues, but with insufficient evidence of effectiveness to warrant recommendation or ranking. • The guideline is presented as a system delivery tool rather than a physician point-of-care tool. • Each preventive service includes 4 categories (as appropriate): Services, Efficacy, Counseling Messages, References/Related Guidelines. Content was updated to reflect the most current evidence for these categories.
Priority Aims & Suggested Measures, Measurement Specifications:

Aims, measures and measurement specifications were revised to reflect the focus on prioritization and system delivery.