NICE decision aid: process guide

7.1 Technical accuracy

A detailed accuracy check is conducted by a member of the development team who was not involved in drafting the decision aid. This is to ensure the content is fair, balanced and accurate.

7.2 Peer review

Stakeholders are invited to comment on a draft of the decision aid:

Stakeholders include patient and professional groups. Additional stakeholders may be identified and invited to review the draft by the project group. For decision aids relating to fully published NICE guidance, user testing may be conducted.

The lead author amends the draft to respond to comments from stakeholders and results from user testing. This revised draft is reviewed by and agreed with the project group.

7.3 Sign-off and approval

The near-final decision aid is signed off by the programme director, clinical adviser or associate director. This near-final version is sent in confidence for a final opportunity to identify any outstanding issues to the project group and, for externally commissioned decision aids, the commissioning organisation.

NICE's guidance executive or a NICE Director reviews the decision aid and, if appropriate, approves it for publication, ensuring that the process has been followed in its development.

For externally commissioned decision aids, arrangements for sign-off by the commissioning organisation after NICE executive sign-off are agreed as part of the commission arrangements.