[Clinical Practice Guidelines: An Ambiguous Term With Potentially Unexpected Legal Consequences]

Clinical Practice Guidelines: An Ambiguous Term With Potentially Unexpected Legal Consequences Abstract. The term "Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG)" is not applied consistently in Switzerland. The FMH published a definition in 1999. However, documents not corresponding to the definition are sometimes also called CPG, while those corresponding to it are sometimes titled with other terms, such as "(klinische) Richtlinien", "Empfehlungen" or "Stellungnahmen". This heterogeneity in terminology could lead to clinical uncertainty and potentially unintended (or at least unpredicted) legal consequences. Ill-defined CPG could lead to inappropriate use of these documents in criminal, civil and public law procedures. On the other hand, an agreement on a unified use of the CPG terms would help to improve their quality and legal certainty.