12 February 2025
Development of our new guideline for diagnosis and management of systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease-related interstitial lung disease (SARD-ILD) began last year and we wanted to take this opportunity to ask the authors how it’s going.
The SARD-ILD guideline will be the first of its kind from the BSR. Speaking to Muhammad Nisar, guideline working group (GWG) Chair, he explained:
“Since the scope was published, we have worked as a whole multi-professional working group to develop the PICO [Population, Intervention, Comparator and Outcome] questions and protocols for each section and are in the process of extensive database searches for the appropriate literature. Extraction of the data relating to treatment will be started shortly and we will be using GRADE [Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation] methodology to assess the quality of evidence."
GWG Co-Chair, Nazia Chaudhuri, and Chair of the British Thoracic Society interstitial and rare lung disease registry, said:
“We are mindful that the ACR have published a SARD-ILD guideline, however, we know how important it will be to have this UK-specific guideline, covering the challenging topic of SARD-ILD in the UK setting, including screening, monitoring and treatment.”
The GWG is consists of 29 multi-professional team members and two experts with lived experience. Its members include representatives across rheumatology, respiratory medicine and radiology, as well as a pharmacists and specialist nurses.
Carol Fielding, one of the patient experts in the GWG, said:
“It’s been very pleasing to see the attention that is being taken by the GWG members to ensure the patient’s perspective is taken into account at every stage. Having this guideline to ensure patients are receiving the best care possible, according to the latest evidence, will be fantastic, and I feel privileged to be involved.”
Useful links and other resources