[Scientific professional associations and guidelines' preparation process.]

Clinical guidelines are a valuable tool for doctors: they are the "type of document" most downloaded from publishers' websites and the "type of article" most cited in scientific literature. They are also an important driver of health system expenditure. To avoid conflicts of interest and to overcome an overly specialized approach, guidelines should not be prepared by scientific professional associations involved in the subject addressed. The preparation process of guidelines should be coordinated by expert methodologists and should include primary care physicians, experts from other disciplines (bioethics, health economics, etc.) and patient representatives.