What is a Clinical Guideline?
Clinical guidelines are systematically developed statements that assist members of the health care team and their patients to make appropriate decisions about a specific condition or treatment.2 They arise following an examination of the current best evidence, and other knowledge relevant to a specific health problem.3, 4 Clinical Guidelines are not: • step-by-step ‘recipes’ for assessment and treatment • nursing procedures that most nurses in the specialty already perform • standing orders • simple descriptions of aetiology, prevalence and assessment What do Clinical Guidelines look like? The format of a clinical guideline is usually determined by the particular aspect of care or condition it addresses and by the target patient population. Sometimes the guidelines may give a broad objective for care and criteria sets for its achievement. At other times guidelines may provide greater detail and specificity including more information about the patients condition and treatment options. D
