Clinical Guidelines
What is a guideline?
A “Clinical Practice Guideline” (CPG) has been defined in a very structured manner by the Institute of Medicine as a “systematically developed statement to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances.”
“Evidence-based” implies that the document or recommendation has been created using an unbiased and transparent process of systematically reviewing, appraising, and using the best clinical research findings of the highest value to aid in the delivery of optimum clinical care to patients.
(From Defining Clinical Practice Guidelines by Waters.)
The US Preventive Services Task Force
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is part of the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (http://www.ahrq.gov)
The USPSTF is an independent panel of experts in primary care and prevention who:- Systematically review the evidence for effectiveness of various preventive services
- Evaluate the benefits of individual services based on age, gender, and risk factors for disease
- Make recommendations about which preventive services should be routinely incorporated into primary medical care for specific populations
- NOTE: These recommendations are for asymptomatic patients only
ePSS is the app the assists clinicians to quickly search the USPSTF recommendations.
ePSS is available on Android, iPad, iPhone, Windows, and the Web.
Finding Clinical Answers
A collection of textbooks and other tools.
- DeGowin's Diagnostic Evaluation
- GoodMan & Gillman's The Pharmacologic Basis of Therapeutics
- Hurst's The Heart
- Schwartz' Principles of Surgery
- Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine
- Williams Hematology
- Harrison's.
- Other books cover: biostatistics, pathology, gross anatomy, physiology, histology, biochemistry, epidemiology, health policy, and more.
- Differential diagnoses tool
A very large collection of books, journals, and other resources from Elsevier. Includes:
- Books: Medical and surgical reference books and textbooks
- Journals: Over 600 journals
- Procedures Consults:
- First Consul: over 850 point-of-care clinical monographs
- Drug monographs
- Patient education materials
- Clinical Trial information from ClinicalTrials.gov
- Practice Guidelines
- MEDLINE citations
- Images, medical & surgical videos
UpToDate
Clinical Point of Care Tool
Comprehensive clinical support tool accessible through the app and web.
The first time users log in to UpToDate through SSO, a new UpToDate account will be created. If already using an UpToDate account, merge accounts during registration process. After completing registration, your UpToDate username is your URMC Email address.
An UpToDate account allows users:
- Download Mobile App on up to two devices
- UpToDate Anywhere / Mobile Web Access which means going directly to UpToDate to log in.
- CME/CE/CPD credits when researching a clinical question using UpToDate onsite or remotely -- including on your mobile device.
Download the free app from your usual app store and log in with the UpToDate username which is your URMC Email address then log in through SSO. Users no longer have to reaffiliate every 90 days.