About CPS position statements

Position statements provide recommendations from the Canadian Paediatric Society based on evidence from the medical literature. They provide guidance to health care practitioners and policy makers on issues relevant to the health and well-being of Canadian children and youth. The CPS also publishes practice points, which are aimed at paediatricians, family physicians and other child health care providers and discuss specific issues of clinical care.

Position statements are written and reviewed by expert CPS committees and approved by the Board of Directors. Authors review the medical literature, recognizing that in some cases, a position statement is required for an issue where definitive data is lacking. The CPS uses a GRADE-informed approach to ensure scientific rigor and to assess implementability of the recommendations in practice.

Statements are published in our peer-review journal, Paediatrics & Child Health, and here. To ensure that CPS statements remain up-to-date, accurate, and relevant, authoring groups are required to review their own documents at regular intervals to determine whether they should be reaffirmed, revised, or retired. Retired statements are removed from the website.

Statement development involves a rigorous development and review process:

• Committees indicate their intent to develop a statement. When the Board approves the intent, development can begin.
• Committee members write and review the document, which may go through several drafts.
• The draft is typically reviewed by other CPS committees, and sometimes external organizations.
• The final document is reviewed by the Board of Directors.

Members of CPS committees and the Board of Directors are volunteers. They do not receive financial compensation for writing or reviewing position statements. Authors and reviewers are asked to disclose conflicts of interest.