The United States Lifeguard Standards Coalition
Researching, identifying and promoting evidence-based standards for lifeguarding and water rescue.

The USLSC process will represent the most comprehensive review of the lifeguarding literature to date.
Key Components:	• Evidence-based • Thorough, detailed, collaborative and unbiased • International in scope • Involve individuals who will both implement the guidelines and those who will work using the guidelines • Include many opportunities for input throughout the process
Steps:	This effort will be accomplished through a multi-step validated evidence based guidelines development process. This will include:
		1. Investigation of the history of safety and rescue protocols currently in existence. 2. Establishing definition for key terms in this field 3. Defining the scope of the process and the questions to be addressed 4. For each area to be addressed developing a hypothesis and/or scientific question 5. Reviewing the available evidence using a validated and standardized approach. At least two experts will review each topic, rating the level and quality of evidence using a standardized evidence evaluation process to develop a “worksheet” for each topic. The evidence to be reviewed will include but not limited to:
			a. Population-based studies b. Epidemiological studies c. Case-control studies d. Historic research e. Case studies f. Large observational studies g. Review of past research summaries, and h. Extrapolations from existing data collected for other purposes
		6. Presentation and approval by coalition members of the evidence review. Each topic will be presented, discussed and critiqued by the assembled experts until a consensus is reached. 7. Open comment on proposed guidelines. The draft guidelines will then be posted to a public web site for a comment period. In addition representatives of organizations that set regulations, standards, or practice guidelines in lifeguarding will have an opportunity to react to the science review and provide comments for consideration. Following the comment period the received feedback will be reviewed by the experts to determine if an alteration of the guideline is warranted. 8. Publication of guidelines with evidence review 9. Public distribution of final guidelines
Managing Conflicts:	The United States Lifeguard Standards Coalition considers conflict of interest of the utmost importance in maintaining the integrity of the evidence evaluation process. Every effort to resolve any real or perceived conflicts of interest during the entire science review process will be made. Every participant will have to complete and update a conflict of interest disclosure form. Each attendee of the process will be given a conflict of interest (COI) booklet, which will list all COI information for every participant. In addition this COI information will be posted on the public web site.