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What are “clinical practice guidelines”?

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Abstract

An evidence-based approach to the development of clinical practice guidelines has attracted significant attention from physicians' groups as well as from the public. According to the US Institute of Medicine, clinical practice guidelines are defined as systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate healthcare in specific clinical circumstances. Clinical practice guidelines can also improve communication among clinicians and patients and their caregivers. However, overly rigid adherence to clinical practice guidelines can cause confusion and hamper practitioners' decision making. The recent style of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines is characterized by the following three components: defining clinical questions (CQ) to be addressed; reviewing current evidence; and determining grades of recommendation. Questions need to be raised not only by clinicians but also by patients, namely patient questions (PQ). This review provides a brief history of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and addresses current international movements with special reference to Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Health Informatics, Kyoto University School of Public Health, Yoshida, Konoe, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Takeo Nakayama M.D., Ph.D.

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  1. Takeo Nakayama M.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Takeo Nakayama M.D., Ph.D..

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Nakayama, T. What are “clinical practice guidelines”?. J Neurol 254 (Suppl 5), 2–7 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-007-5001-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-007-5001-y

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