Does Evidence-Based Medicine Help the Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines?

¹ From the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Phoenix

Formal methods for the development of clinical practice guidelines have emerged to address societal needs to decrease physician practice variation, slow the rise of health-care costs, monitor inappropriate care, assist clinicians to stay abreast of new clinical information, set research priorities, and promote better health-care outcomes. Evidence-based methods ensure that guidelines provide valid recommendations based on a critical appraisal of the best available evidence rather than informal, opinion-based processes.