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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

National Guideline Clearinghouse is now ECRI Guidelines Trust

ECRI Institute, the independent nonprofit organization that the United States federal government relied on to develop and maintain the now shuttered National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC), has taken over the responsibility of providing this critical service to the healthcare community.

ECRI Guidelines Trust provides a centralized repository of current, properly vetted evidence based clinical practice guidelines summaries and other information.  The site enables users to search and retrieve ECRI's summarization and full text of clinical practice guidelines from hundreds of participating guideline developers.  Included with the results of a search of the ECRI Guidelines Trust will be unbiased evaluations on the rigor and transparency of the guidelines against the National Academy of Medicine standards for trustworthiness.

Browse Guidelines from ECRI

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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 (Version 1, Update Alert 2) (2024)
  • 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 (2024)

Diabetes

  • Guideline: Newer Pharmacologic Treatments in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Clinical Guideline From the American College of Physicians (2024)
  • Evidence Review: Newer Pharmacologic Treatments in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis for the American College of Physicians (2024)

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)

High Flow Nasal Oxygen for Acute Respiratory Failure

  • Guideline: Appropriate Use of High-Flow Nasal Oxygen in Hospitalized Patients for Initial or Postextubation Management of Acute Respiratory Failure: A Clinical Guideline From the American College of Physicians (2021)
  • Evidence Review: Effectiveness and Harms of High-Flow Nasal Oxygen for Acute Respiratory Failure: An Evidence Report for a Clinical Guideline From the American College of Physicians (2021)

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 (Version 1, Update Alert) (2024)
  • Evidence Review: Update Alert: 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 (2024)

Point-of-care Ultrasound for Acute Dyspnea

  • Guideline: Appropriate Use of Point-of-Care Ultrasonography in Patients With Acute Dyspnea in Emergency Department or Inpatient Settings: A Clinical Guideline From the American College of Physicians (2021)
  • Evidence Review: Point-of-Care Ultrasonography in Patients With Acute Dyspnea: An Evidence Report for a Clinical Practice Guideline by the American College of Physicians (2021)

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)