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 Vol. 20 No. 5, November 2008
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Right arrow Weighing the Evidence

AAP Grand Rounds 20:51 (2008)
© 2008 American Academy of Pediatrics

CRITICAL CARE

Weighing the Evidence: Clinical Practice Guidelines

M. Paulina Velasquez, MD and Virgina A. Moyer, MD, MPH, FAAP
The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

Where you live or which doctor you choose should not be the primary determinant of what specific tests and treatment you get — but often is.1 While care should vary according to the patient’s condition and values, it should not vary based on physician "style." This is ever more important in the era of frequent patient handoffs. A clinical practice guideline is a set of recommendations whose main objective is to standardize medical practice regarding a specific health condition. The creation of such sets promotes cost-effective practice while helping minimize the occurrence of medical errors and inappropriate variation in care. Guidelines are not rules set in stone; . . . [Full Text of this Article]