Organization, panel composition, planning, and coordination

This project was a collaboration of ASH and 12 hematology societies in Latin America: Associação Brasileira de Hematologia, Hemoterapia e Terapia Celular (ABHH); Asociación Colombiana de Hematología y Oncología (ACHO); Grupo Cooperativo Argentino de Hemostasia y Trombosis (Grupo CAHT); Grupo Cooperativo Latinoamericano de Hemostasia y Trombosis (Grupo  CLAHT); Sociedad Argentina de Hematología (SAH); Sociedad Boliviana de Hematología y Hemoterapia (SBHH); Sociedad Chilena de Hematología (SOCHIHEM); Sociedad de Hematología del Uruguay (SHU); Sociedad Mexicana de Trombosis y Hemostasia (SOMETH); Sociedad Panameña de Hematología; Sociedad Peruana de Hematología; and Sociedad Venezolana de Hematología (SVH). Project coordination was provided by ASH. Project oversight was provided by the ASH Guideline Oversight Subcommittee, which reported to the ASH Committee on Quality, and by the executive boards of the Latin American partner societies.

The partner societies nominated individuals to serve on the guideline panel.

The McMaster University GRADE Centre recommended methodologists to conduct systematic evidence reviews and facilitate the GRADE ADOLOPMENT process. ASH vetted all nominated individuals, including for conflicts of interest, and formed the panel to include 2 methodologists (I.N. and A.I.) and 11 hematologists from 10 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panamá, Perú, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The partner societies were represented as follows: Suely Meireles Rezende represented ABHH, Guillermo León Basantes represented ACHO, Patricia Casais represented Grupo CAHT and Grupo CLAHT, Cecilia C. Colorio represented SHA, Mario L. Tejerina Valle represented SBHH, Jaime Pereira represented SOCHIHEM, Ricardo Aguilar represented the Sociedad Panameña de Hematología, Pedro P. García Lázaro represented Sociedad Peruana de Hematología, María Cecilia Guillermo Esposito represented SHU, Juan Carlos Serrano represented SVH, and Luis A. Meillon-Garcıa represented SOMETH. In October 2019, representation of Grupo CLAHT was transferred from Casais to Guillermo Esposito.

The McMaster University GRADE Centre formed a knowledge synthesis team that Included individuals based in Chile and Argentina. The team determined methods; prepared meeting materials; updated the evidence reviews conducted for the source ASH guidelines; and searched for regional information about values and preferences, resources, accessibility, feasibility, and impact on health equity. Methodologists from the knowledge synthesis team (I.N. and A.I.) facilitated discussions and guided the panel through decision making.

The panel’s work was done using Web-based tools (www.surveymonkey.com and www.gradepro.org) and face-to-face and online meetings. These meetings were mostly conducted in Spanish.

The membership of the panel and the knowledge synthesis team is described in supplement 1.