Clinical Practice Guidelines
"systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances”
They are designed to help practitioners assimilate, evaluate and implement the ever-increasing amount of evidence and opinion on best current practice
Clinical guidelines are intended as neither cookbook nor textbook but, where there is evidence of variation in practice and a strong research base providing evidence of effective practice, guidelines can assist health care professionals in making decisions about appropriate and effective care for their patients