Update on task force terminology and outreach activities: Advancing guideline usability for the Canadian primary care context

Characteristics of trustworthy guidelines include transparency, explicitness, and rigour around methods and evidence evaluation. Guideline development should be free from influence related to conflicts of interest among guideline panelists and developers or funders, including specialty organizations with vested interests in recommendations, and should integrate values and preferences of patients; recommendations should be clear and actionable. For most preventive services, multiple Canadian and international guidelines are available. These guidelines sometimes diverge in how they are developed, their adherence to optimal methodology, and their recommendations. The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care has established and continues to build upon an explicit framework intended to produce the most trustworthy and useful guidance possible. This is done to meet the needs of Canadian health care providers, stakeholders, and the public.