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Practice Guidelines: Practice Guidelines

General Information

Guidelines can be found at the websites of the sponsoring organizations (e.g., major medical organizations and clinical specialty societies), or by entering "clinical practice guidelines" into a search engine.  "Practice guideline" can also be set as a limit term for type of article when using PubMed to search the US National Library of Medicine.  There are also a few organizations dedicated to making practice guidelines more accessible.

Guideline Resources

American College of Physicians: Clinical Guidelines & Recommendations
ACP's goal is to provide clinicians with recommendations based on the best available evidence; to inform clinicians of when there is no evidence; and finally, to help clinicians deliver the best health care possible.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
The USPSTF is an independent, volunteer panel of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine. The Task Force works to improve the health of all Americans by making evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services. All recommendations are published on the Task Force’s Web site and/or in a peer-reviewed journal.

Guideline Central is dedicated to providing healthcare professionals with evidence-based clinical decision-support tools that are current, practical, and easily accessible.  Guideline Central partners with over thirty-five medical societies and government agencies to provide quick-reference tools that physicians can rely on for credible guidance in the management of a medical condition

TRIP Database

TRIP, a clinical search engine originally developed as a search tool by The Public Health Wales Observatory, has a free searchable library of Guideline summaries which draws results from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia. The Trip Blog will take you through the process of finding guidelines step-by-step.

Ask a Librarian

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Medical Librarians
Contact:
Sonya.Palmer@INTEGRISHealth.org (INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center: 405-636-7437) / Lisa.Zarrella@INTEGRISHealth.org (INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center: 405-949-3767)

Current Guidelines from the ACP

Acute Pain from Musculoskeletal Injuries

  • Guideline: Non-Pharmacological and Pharmacological Management of Acute Pain from Non-Low Back, Musculoskeletal Injuries in Adults: A Clinical Guideline from the American College of Physicians and American Academy of Family Physicians (2020)
  • Evidence Review: Management of Acute Pain From Non–Low Back Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials (2020)
  • Evidence Review: Predictors of Prolonged Opioid Use After Initial Prescription for Acute Musculoskeletal Injuries in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies (2020)

Appropriate Antibiotic Use

  • Best Practice Advice: Appropriate Use of Short Course Antibiotics in Common Infections: Best Practice Advice from the American College of Physicians (2021)

Breast Cancer Screening

  • Guidance Statements: Screening for Breast Cancer in Average-Risk Women: A Guidance Statement From the American College of Physicians (2019)

Colorectal Cancer Screening

  • Guidance Statements: Screening for Colorectal Cancer in Asymptomatic Average-Risk Adults: A Guidance Statement from the American College of Physicians (2023)

Depression

  • Guideline: Nonpharmacologic and Pharmacologic Treatments of Adults in the Acute Phase of Major Depressive Disorder: A Living Clinical Guideline From the American College of Physicians (2023)
  • Evidence Review: Nonpharmacologic and Pharmacologic Treatments of Adult Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis for a Clinical Guideline by the American College of Physicians (2023)

Diverticulitis

  • Guideline: Diagnosis and Management of Acute Left-Sided Colonic Diverticulitis: A Clinical Guideline From the American College of Physicians (2022)
  • Guideline: Colonoscopy for Diagnostic Evaluation and Interventions to Prevent Recurrence After Acute Left-Sided Colonic Diverticulitis: A Clinical Guideline From the American College of Physicians (2022)
  • Evidence Review:Diagnostic Imaging and Medical Management of Acute Left-Sided Colonic Diverticulitis: A Systematic Review (2022)
  • Evidence Review:Evaluation and Management After Acute Left-Sided Colonic Diverticulitis: A Systematic Review (2022)

Hepatitis C

  • Best Practice Advice: World Health Organization Guidelines on the Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Best Advice from the American College of Physicians (2020)

Osteoporosis

  • Guideline: Pharmacologic Treatment of Primary Osteoporosis or Low Bone Mass to Prevent Fractures in Adults: A Living Clinical Guideline From the American College of Physicians (2023)
  • Evidence Review: Effectiveness and Safety of Treatments to Prevent Fractures in People With Low Bone Mass or Primary Osteoporosis: A Living Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis for the American College of Physicians (2023)

Testosterone Treatment

  • Guideline: Testosterone Treatment in Adult Men with Age-Related Low Testosterone: A Clinical Guideline from the American College of Physicians (2020)
  • Evidence review: Efficacy and Safety of Testosterone Treatment in Men: An Evidence Report for a Clinical Practice Guideline by the American College of Physicians (2020)