Why did we make the MAGIC authoring and publication platform
1. We needed it to complete our MAGIC reserach program
2. There were no such tool out there, and we saw there were a great need for one
Efficient guideline development, updating and dissemination requires that authors can write the individual components of the guideline directly in an electronically structure, with components to facilitate their use in decision support systems in the EMR and links to additional resources such as calculators, decision aids and social media. The authoring tool should cover all steps in the guideline content development process: Delineation of clinical questions, identification and appraisal of the best current research evidence, integration of key factors when moving from evidence to recommendations, development of recommendations and underlying rationale,
To achieve these goals, guideline content needs to be structured and tagged so that it can be efficiently incorporated into different electronic formats, including EMR systems, web guideline platforms and apps for smartphones/tablets. Modifications in guidelines should lead to automatic alterations in output (e.g., update of web guideline and apps) with a minimum of additional labor for authors. We consider it crucial to harmonize the development of the electronic authoring tool with novel electronic guideline outputs in our research program (eg. top layer guideline format), technology for integration of guidelines in the EMR (PLUGGED-IN) and new methodology for guideline adaptation and updating. The programming required for developing our tool has therefore needed to be performed in parallel with our other research projects.This have proved to be a very successful strategy, as we have not only developed a tool that can help guideline panels around the world develop trustworthy guidelines using the GRADE methodology, but we have paid equal amount of attention to getting something that is implementable, usable, desirable and in trend with the technology-developments in the rest of the world. As we are not just a development team, but foremost researchers and clinicians, we aim not only what you need today, but cutting edge research of tomorrow.
The results from our work with the MAGIC application is built on and will continue to include research from the DECIDE project. The application we now develop in MAGIC will be aligned with and exchange ideas with the toolkit developed by DECIDE, including GDT, interactive Summary of Finding tables and the Evidence to Recommendation framework. The latter two initiatives are currently being programmed by a team from Epistemonikos.