Table 1

Characteristics of the selected guidelines
Guideline
 Intervention


Medication
 Exercise
 Surgery
 Injections
 Equipment
 Education
 Supplements
 Passive treatments
 Period covered with literature review
Canadian Consensus Conference [8]
 X






2000–2004
Ottawa Panel [11]
X





Not mentioned (published in 2005)
Schnitzer/American College of Rheumatology [7]
 X
 X
 X
 X
 X
 X

Not mentioned (published in 2002)
European League Against Rheumatism [6]
 X
 X
 X
 X
 X
 X
 X
1966–2002
Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement [9]
 X
 X
X
 X
 X
 X
 X
 Not mentioned (published in 2004)
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons [10]
 X
 X
 X
 X
 X
 X

1990–2000

Poitras et al. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2007 9:R126   doi:10.1186/ar2339