Clinical practice guidelines play a hugely important role in the field of healthcare. Simply put, ‘clinical practice guidelines’ is the name given to a set of recommendations – one set for each and every medical condition – which guide healthcare professionals, such as doctors, nurses and other clinicians, on how to diagnose and treat the condition.
The overall aim is to ensure that healthcare professionals have access to a reputable, evidence-based set of resources to support them in treating and helping patients, from community practice through to consultancy.
What do they include?
Clinical practice guidelines summarise the most up-to-date knowledge and research on the given condition. They offer information on how to diagnose the condition and what the best choices of treatment are. Additionally, they provide information on how healthcare professionals can support the patient in terms of psychosocial support, rehabilitation and follow-up care.
Interestingly, the guidelines will also often offer information on how the patient can engage in some self-care to help manage their condition, wherever possible.
It is important for all healthcare professionals to keep their knowledge of clinical practice guidelines up to date as much as possible. This can be achieved by attending clinical training courses offered by providers such as www.tidaltraining.co.uk/clinical-training-courses/.
How are the guidelines compiled?
The guidelines are continually reviewed and updated, especially if new research comes to light, according to NICE, the UK’s main provider of clinical practice guidelines. They are usually compiled by a team of experts in the field.
Are clinical practice guidelines binding?
Simply put, no. Clinical practice guidelines are not strictly binding, and a clinician does not absolutely have to follow them to the letter. They are guidelines, rather than a hard set of rules. They are written to guide and assist healthcare professionals. However, if the clinician feels that a better course of treatment would be more suitable for some reason, for example, if the patient has two co-existing conditions, they can make this decision in the patient’s best interests.