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Introduction to Clinical Practice Guidelines

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Evidence-Based Surgery

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Abstract

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) consist of recommendations developed to support specific clinical encounters. Their actionable messages intend to guide best practice. CPGs are distinct from clinical pathways. Beyond clinicians and patients, CPGs can influence policy, identify limitations in a body of research , guide resources, and define quality indicators. They have the potential to decrease unwanted variation in practice, and better inform patients; their implementation likely produces improved overall outcomes . CPGs are becoming more popular and integrated to practice, including surgery. Tools exist to guide their applications, and it is important that surgeons are familiar with their appraisal . This chapter provides a guide to readers on evaluating a clinical practice guideline in surgery.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Plastic Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Christopher J. Coroneos

  2. Department of Surgery, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK

    Stavros A. Antoniou

  3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia

    Ivan D. Florez

  4. Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Ivan D. Florez

  5. School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Melissa C. Brouwers

  6. Department of Oncology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Melissa C. Brouwers

Authors
  1. Christopher J. Coroneos
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  2. Stavros A. Antoniou
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  3. Ivan D. Florez
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  4. Melissa C. Brouwers
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher J. Coroneos .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (HEI), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Achilles Thoma

  2. Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (HEI), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Sheila Sprague

  3. Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Sophocles H. Voineskos

  4. Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (HEI), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Charles H. Goldsmith

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Coroneos, C.J., Antoniou, S.A., Florez, I.D., Brouwers, M.C. (2019). Introduction to Clinical Practice Guidelines. In: Thoma, A., Sprague, S., Voineskos, S., Goldsmith, C. (eds) Evidence-Based Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05120-4_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05120-4_31

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-05119-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-05120-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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