Retirement of the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Program

In 2013, the Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) formally retired the Consensus Development Program.  Since its formation in 1977, the CDP has produced unbiased, evidence-based assessments of controversial medical issues important to researchers, healthcare providers, policymakers, patients, and the general public.  The CDP has produced consensus statements interpreting the available evidence and has identified research gaps to guide future research.  The consensus statements have been used by numerous professional organizations to develop guidelines for clinical practice; the over 160 CDP statements can be found in the online archive. In addition, the NIH CDP has served as a model for consensus conference programs developed in many other countries.

The CDP was created during a time when few other organizations were providing evidence reviews.  Today, there are many other organizations that conduct such reviews, including other federal agencies, academic institutions, and private organizations.  Examples include the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the Community Preventive Services Task Force, the Institute of Medicine, and The Cochrane Collaboration.  The CDP has served a very useful role, but one that is now served by other able parties.

The ODP will continue to focus on its mission to improve the public health by increasing the scope, quality, dissemination, and impact of prevention research supported by the NIH. To learn more about the goals and activities of the ODP, visit the ODP Strategic Plan website.  Additional information about other ODP-sponsored evidence-based programs, including the Pathways to Prevention workshop program, see the Events and Programs page.