The International Guideline in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Richard S. Legro, MD

Our journal is pleased to present our guest editor Professor Helena Teede, in what we anticipate will serve as a remarkable template for the development of evidence based clinical guidelines, a plan for their dissemination, implementation and ongoing revision. The disorder of interest will be Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, but the methodology described here will be transferable to a wide variety of endocrinopathies and medical disorders. We occupy a world of medical societies, which often collaborate but sometimes competing on key medical issues. One of these in which they compete is the development of clinical practice guidelines which can vary from society to society and often offer conflicting advice regarding diagnosis and treatment of specific disorders. The development of the PCOS clinical practice guideline by this group out of Monash University in Australia involved over 50 medical societies, an international panel of experts, patient support groups and patients, and multiple other stakeholders in the process. It is truly a novel and remarkable development whose impact is not yet realizable as the guidelines are just being rolled out in the second half of 2018.

Professor Teede was the Principal Investigator of the Nation Research Medical Council (of Australia) funded project to develop the international practice guideline for PCOS. She has had a leading role in translation from evidence synthesis, developing past international guidelines including with the World Health Organization, co-design of new models of care, implementation and scale-up as well as holding policy advisory roles. Appropriately she holds leadership roles across health care, research and policy including as the Director of Monash Centre for Health Research Implementation, School of Public Health Monash University, an Endocrinologist at Monash Health and Executive Director of Monash Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. member of the National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Research Committee and the Victorian Clinical Council. Her interests are varied and include reproductive and metabolic health in women including PCOS, the interaction between lifestyle, obesity and reproductive health, preconception and pregnancy health including gestational weight gain and gestational diabetes, and diabetes prevention and management.