ATA Calculator vs ESMO Interactive Guidelines

The American Thyroid Association has developed thyroid nodule calculators to provide guidance and recommendations for particular practice areas concerning thyroid disease and thyroid cancer. The Calculators are not inclusive of all proper approaches or methods, or exclusive of others. The Calculators do not establish a standard of care and specific outcomes are not guaranteed. Treatment decisions must be made based on the independent judgment of health care providers and each patient’s individual circumstances. A calculator is not intended to take the place of physician judgment in diagnosing and treatment of particular patients. The ATA calculators are based on the evidence available in the literature and the expert opinion of ATA members in the recent timeframe of the development of calculators. Management issues have not been and cannot be comprehensively addressed in randomized trials; therefore, the evidence cannot be comprehensive. Calculators cannot always account for individual variation among patients. Calculators cannot be considered inclusive of all proper methods of care or exclusive of other treatments reasonably directed at obtaining the same results. Therefore, the American Thyroid Association considers adherence to these calculations to be voluntary, with the ultimate determination regarding its application to be made by the treating physician and health care professionals with the full consideration of the individual patient’s clinical history and physical status. In addition, the calculator concerns the therapeutic interventions used in clinical practice and do not pertain to clinical trials. Clinical trials are a separate matter, designed to research new and novel therapies, and the calculators are not necessarily relevant to their purpose.

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines are developed by experts. They are concise, practical and offer users treatment recommendations that are based on the latest scientific research. This application uses interactive tools to support decision making and help the user navigate the guidelines easily, so they can access the information they require quickly. Each guideline offers best practice recommendations for screening, diagnosis, staging, treatment and follow up. The ESMO Interactive Guidelines application ensures the user has the highest standard of information at their figure tips. A variety of interactive treatment algorithms, tables, calculators and scores can be utilised to assist the treating doctor. The user can also perform key word searches, bookmark useful pages, add notes and email pages to colleagues or patients. The app features news and push notifications. Disclaimer: The app is intended to assist healthcare professionals and allied healthcare professionals as an educational tool to provide information that may support them in providing care to patients. Patients or other community members using this app shall do so only after consultation with a health professional and shall not mistake these guidelines as professional medical advice. These guidelines must not substitute seeking professional medical and health advice from a health professional. These guidelines may not apply to all situations and shall be interpreted in the light of specific clinical situations and resource availability. It is up to every clinician to adapt these guidelines to local regulations and to each patient’s individual circumstances and needs. The app contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources (http://www.esmo.org). Although every effort has been made to ensure that treatment and other information are presented accurately in this publication, the ultimate responsibility rests with the prescribing physician.This application is updated regularly with more tumour types, guidelines and interactive tools.