Clinical guidelines on the Web
Trying to find clinical practice guidelines is easier now that the National Guidelines Clearinghouse (NGC) has an on-line site.
The National Guidelines Clearinghouse is a resource for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, explains Jean Slutsky, NGC project officer. The site is sponsored by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) in Rockville, MD, the American Medical Association in Chicago, and the American Association of Health Plans in Washington, DC.
Visitors to www.guideline.gov can browse through treatment and intervention guidelines as well as information on equipment and supplies. Topics of interest to day-surgery managers include:
• anesthesia guidelines;
• cataract guidelines;
• adult and pediatric eye evaluation guidelines;
• cardiovascular perioperative guidelines for non-cardiac surgery.
There is no charge to view or list guidelines.
The typical time between submission of a guideline and inclusion on the Web site is three months, Slutsky says. Abstracts for every guideline submitted are written by the NGC staff to conform to a specific format that enables visitors to compare guidelines of one organization to another.
New guidelines appear Tuesday mornings. The new guidelines are listed in the "What’s New" section of the site, says Slutsky. She says, "We estimate that we’ll have about 700 guidelines on the Web site this fall."
For more information, contact www.guide lines.gov. or send your request to Jean Slutsky, AHCPR, 6010 Executive Blvd., Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852.
For information on how to submit guidelines for the Web site, go to www.guidelines.gov, choose "about NGC", choose "content overview," and choose "content development and inclusion criteria."
• Joint Commission Freestanding Ambulatory Care Accreditation: Standards and Survey Process — Sept. 16-17, Nashville, TN. Sponsored by THA — An Association of Hospitals and Health Systems and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Contact: Education Services, THA — An Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, 500 Interstate Blvd. S., Nashville, TN 37210. Telephone: (800) 258-9541 or (615) 256-8240.
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