Using a network model to develop standardized evidence-informed guidelines in respiratory outbreak prevention and management

This article describes the methodology used to develop a set of provincial, collaborative, standardized, research-informed guidelines for the prevention and control of seasonal respiratory infections in all healthcare settings. Instead of using a hierarchical model, these guidelines were developed by a group of volunteers from BC’s Pro- vincial Infection Control Network (PICNet). The three-phase methodology included 1) development of a conceptual model for the guidelines, 2) drafting of a ‘skeleton document’, 3) iterative cycle of reviewing and redrafting by a group of PICNet stakeholders and experts from across the province. The success of this project and methodology supports the notion that the collegial nature of the network governance model can be a powerful alternative to the potentially coercive forces of the hierarchical model.