About CPS position statements

Position statements convey the opinion and recommendations of the Canadian Paediatric Society. 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. They involve a review of the available medical literature, recognizing that in some cases, a position statement is required for an issue where definitive data is lacking.

Statements are published in our peer-review journal, Paediatrics & Child Health, and here. Position statements that appear online are current CPS policy.

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 may be reviewed by other CPS committees or an external organization.
• The final statement is reviewed by the Board of Directors.

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