Definition

set of systematically developed statements to assist the decisions made by healthcare actors about healthcare activities to be performed with regard to specified health issues

 

This is a concrete item and can be implemented directly

Term: clinical guideline; 
Synonym: care guideline; 
Plural: clinical guidelines; 

Notes

NOTE 1 clinical guidelines are usually rather generic and they concern no actual subject of care in particular. While they generally reflect a broad statement of good practice, they may sometimes include multiple operational details.

NOTE 2 clinical guidelines should be structured and contain standard criteria and indicators for measurement.

Examples

EXAMPLES clinical guidelines related to hypertension, diabetes, pregnancy follow-up, Caesarean section; pressure area management, exercise programmes, social intervention programmes for people with a learning disability

Diagrammatic representation

Simple graph - clinical guideline

Required associations

a number of clinical guidelines is centred on one or more health issues

Optional associations

a number of healthcare actors makes decisions assisted by a number of clinical guidelines
a number of healthcare plannings is based upon a number of clinical guidelines
a number of clinical pathways refers to one or more clinical guidelines
a number of care plans complies with a number of clinical guidelines

Generalisations

clinical guideline

Specialisations

clinical guideline
    protocol