Medical guidelines, also known as Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) or Practice Guidelines are systematically researched statements to help health professionals make decisions about a variety of health care conditions. These are produced by various health-care organisations and professional bodies at local, state and national levels.

They are generally developed by specific hospitals and health support agencies to provide clear guidelines on institutional practice.  You may also find guidelines on the latest evidence-informed best practice produced by specialist medical practice focus areas. 

Australian Guidelines

Australian guidelines can be located in the Guidelines International Network (GIN) Library, alongside CPGs from many international bodies. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funds and develops guidelines for clinical practice and other health related areas. 

An important source of guidelines in Australia is the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Clinical Guidelines, which consist of a wide variety of topics to assist GP’s in their work.

International Guidelines

There are also international guidelines such as the USA National Guideline Clearinghouse   and the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. 

Think about which professional association, government department or even global organisation e.g. World Health Organisation is likely to produce guidelines on your topic and search through their websites. 

Currently, there is no one search engine that searches all guidelines at once. However, if you do a Google search using your research topic keywords + the terms Clinical Guidelines, Practice Guidelines or Guidelines, this will get you started.

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