University Library: Evidence Based Practice (NUR 4169): Practice Guidelines

The Purpose of Practice Guidelines

So, what's the fuss? Why do we need practice guidelines?
Good question! Put simply, practice guidelines serve to:

describe appropriate care based on the best available scientific evidence and broad consensus
reduce inappropriate variation in practice
provide a more rational basis for referral
provide a focus for continuing education
promote efficient use of resources
act as focus for quality control, including audit
highlight shortcomings of existing literature and suggest appropriate future research

From the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation's Clinical Practice Guidelines.

Practice Guideline Video

Produced by the Health Council of Canada, and obviously geared toward Canada, this video still gives an excellent overview of Practice Guidelines: what they are, the role they play in health care, how they are used, how they came about, and their relationship to EBP. At over five minutes, it's a longer video but still well worth watching. (Don't worry, the French parts are brief and have subtitles!)

How to Locate Practice Guidelines

Okay, where do I find practice guidelines?
Practice guidelines from various medical specialties are available via the Internet. When available they are a critical component of medical decision making, yet practice guidelines require time and analysis of best practices for their development, and not every medical condition or health issue is covered. (The alphabetical list below is a good place to start looking.)

AIDSinfo: Clinical guidelines portal
Find all your federally approved HIV/AIDS medical practice guidelines here!
American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation: Practice Guideline Resources
Provides timely, in-depth information about PM&R practice guidelines. Also gives good, easy-to-understand definition of what "practice guidelines" means.
American College of Physicians (ACP) Clinical Recommendations
Three different types of clinical recommendations: Clinical Practice Guidelines, Clinical Guidance Statements, and Best Practice Advice.
American Diabetes Association
Fight diabetes with the latest ADA clinical practice recommendations! (Regularly reviewed & updated.)
American Heart Association
Scroll down to search AHA practice guidelines by topic or publication date. Also, a handy mobile app for practice guidelines on the go! And info on policies & development of practice guidelines for the seriously erudite.
CMA Infobase: A clinical practice guidelines database
From our northern neighbor comes a handy database of Canadian practice guidelines. Maintained by the Canadian Medical Association it contains 1,200 guidelines developed or endorsed by authoritative medical & health organizations in Canada.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Find practice guidelines for sickle cell, asthma, high blood pressure, von Willegbrande disease, & cardiovascular health and risk reduction in youth.
NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
"The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ – the recognized standard for clinical policy in oncology – are the most comprehensive and most frequently updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. Covering 97 percent of all patients with cancer and updated on a continual basis, the NCCN Guidelines are developed through an explicit review of the evidence integrated with expert medical judgment by multidisciplinary panels from NCCN Member Institutions. Treatment recommendations are specific and are implemented through performance measurement. NCCN Guidelines Panels address cancer detection, prevention and risk reduction, workup and diagnosis, treatment and supportive care."
UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
See what the Brits are up to! Called "Guidance Lists," this site boasts over 1,110 practice guidelines for medical care in the United Kingdom.

Evidence Based Practice (NUR 4169)

What are Practice Guidelines?

Guideline Humor

Incentive for following practice guidelines:

The Purpose of Practice Guidelines

Practice Guideline Video

How to Locate Practice Guidelines

Further Readings on Practice Guidelines

Florida Gulf Coast University Library