Clinical Guideline Resources
“Clinical practice guidelines are systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances.”(Institute of Medicine, 1990)
Since the demise of the National Guideline Clearinghouse in 2018, there are less centralized and comprehensive locations for clinical practice guidelines. Below is a brief list of organization and international guideline repositories. Also check directly with the professional association that developed the guideline. Some of these websites are listed in a separate box below.
- CDC - Vaccination SchedulesChild and adult recommended vaccination schedules.
- CURRENT Practice Guidelines in Primary Care 2024Book sections include Screening & Prevention; Special Populations; Management
- ECRI Guidelines Trust
Best, most comprehensive source for USA clinical guidelines. Includes TRUST scorecards. Requires free account/login. - NCCN National Comprehensive Cancer NetworkThe National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) is a not-for-profit alliance of 33 leading cancer centers. Create a free account to access the guidelines. Organized by cancer type.
- Physician Data Query (PDQ) from National Cancer InstituteComprehensive source of cancer information. Contains: PDQ Cancer Information Summaries, Editorial Boards, Levels of Evidence, NCI Drug Information Summaries; NCI Dictionaries, Cancer Genetics Services. Selected content available in Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic.
- USPSTF U.S. Preventative Services Task ForceUSPSTF makes evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services.
- Veterans Association Clinical Practice GuidelinesThe guidelines on this site are those endorsed by the VA/DoD Evidence Based Practice Work Group.
International Guideline Sources:
- G-I-N: Guideline International NetworkA good place to search for guidelines, but need to be a G-I-N member to access the guidelines through this site. However, once you identify a guideline in the search results, you can try a Google search for the guideline to see if it is freely available.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)Guidelines for United Kingdom (UK) National Health Services (NHS).
- Trip DatabaseClinical search engine designed to allow users to quickly and easily find and use high-quality research evidence to support their practice and/or care. Free version does not allow access to full content.
- Virtual Health Library GRADE Guidelines and RecommendationsIntegrated access platform to resources supporting clinical and public health decisions produced by WHO, PAHO, and other national and international institutions, following the GRADE approach. Includes the BIGG Database and WHO SDG-3 recommendations.
- World Health Organization (WHO) GuidelinesWHO recommendations for clinical practice or public health policy
Finding Guidelines in Literature Databases
Most databases provide a filter that allows searching for Guidelines or Practice Guidelines.
- CINAHL Complete Prior to searching, use the Publication Type limit of Practice Guidelines.
- ClinicalKey Limit your search to guidelines.
- PubMed@USC Use the Article Type filter to limit to Guideline and/or Practice Guideline.
- UpToDate Add the term Guideline to your search.
Professional Association Guidelines
Professional association guidelines may be hard to find on websites as websites are updated. Best bet is to Google the association name and Guidelines to land on the correct page. Below are several used in clinical practice.
- AAFP American Academy of Family PhysiciansSee also the AAFP Clinical Recommendations on their website.
- AAOS American Academy of Orthopedic SurgeonsOrthopedic clinical practice guidelines
- AAP American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice GuidelinesAn organization of 67,000 pediatricians committed to the optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Free access to all guidelines through the USC network, some guidelines are free to all.
- ACC American College of Cardiology GuidelinesACC Guidelines are free to view or download.
- ACG American College of GastroenterologyACG provides clinical guidelines in the area of GI related diseases and disorders.
- ACOG American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Clinical GuidanceFree access through the USC network, this site contains Practice Bulletins, Clinical Practice Guidelines, Committee Opinion, Clinical Consensus Statements.
- ACP American College of Physicians Clinical Guidelines & RecommendationsACP'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. Freely accessible through the USC network.
- AGS American Geriatrics SocietyOpen the Publications & Tools, and see Guidelines & Recommendations. Some content is free, some requires a fee.
- AHA American Heart Association Guidelines and Statements SearchThe American Heart Association and American Stroke Association publish medical guidelines and scientific statements on various cardiovascular disease and stroke topics. Free access.
- ASA American Society of AnesthesiologistsSee the Research and Guidelines tab on the website.
- ASCO American Society of Clinical OncologyGuidelines can address specific clinical situations (disease-oriented) or use of approved medical products, procedures, or tests (modality-oriented).
- ASH American Society of HematologyBrowse the existing guidelines, and learn about guidelines currently in development.
- ASPEN American Society for Parenteral and Enteral NutritionASPEN has guidelines, publications, and clinical resources to assist practitioners in providing safe, efficacious, nutrition care to patients.
- Endocrine SocietyEvidence-based recommendations for clinical care and practice
- IDSA Infectious Disease Society of AmericaDeveloped by a panel of experts who perform a systematic review of the available evidence and use the GRADE process to develop evidence-based recommendations to assist practitioners and patients in making decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances.
- NCCN National Comprehensive Cancer NetworkThe National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) is a not-for-profit alliance of 33 leading cancer centers. Create a free account to access the guidelines. Organized by cancer type.
- SHEA/IDSA/APIC Practice RecommendationsThe Compendium: 2022 Updates document provides acute-care hospitals with up-to-date, practical expert guidance to assist in prioritizing and implementing HAI prevention efforts.