Approach to assessing and using clinical practice guidelines.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Clinical Practice Guidelines

Background:

• Increasing number of clinical practice guidelines available.
• Over 1,000 guidelines in the National Guideline Clearinghouse.
• Need for neurologists to assess guideline quality and application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe guideline definitions and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) development process.
• To outline key elements for assessing guideline quality.
• To detail a practical approach for incorporating guideline recommendations into patient care.

Main Methods:

• Review of guideline definitions.
• Description of the AAN guideline development process.
• Outline of quality assessment elements.
• Presentation of a practical approach for shared decision-making.

Main Results:

• Guidelines require critical appraisal for appropriate clinical use.
• Understanding guideline development and quality assessment is crucial.
• Shared decision-making facilitates guideline implementation.

Conclusions:

• Neurologists need to evaluate guideline rigor and application.
• The AAN provides a framework for guideline development.
• Integrating guidelines involves patient partnership and shared decision-making.