How to Determine If a Clinical Practice Guideline is Trustworthy

An interesting article titled “How to Decide Whether a Clinical Practice Guideline Is Trustworthy,” written by David F. Ransohoff, MD Michael Pignone, MD, MPH, and Harold C. Sox, MD appears in JAMA, January 9, 2013,Vol 309, No. 2, pp. 139 -140. The article mentions how many controversies have arose recently over cancer screening guidelines. The article mentions how in 2008 Congress gave the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies with developing standards for objective, scientifically valid, and consistent approaches to developing practice guidelines. Well as I mentioned in this blog post Tips to Prevent Medical Errors – AHRQ Congress actually gave the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) in 1989 evidence-based, clinical-practice guidelines. However, the medical device industry and several doctors organizations opposed this as it was threatening to limit their profits and found a sympathetic ear … Read more