Guidelines for colorectal surgery

Abstract Clinical practice guidelines have been developed to assist physicians in providing evidence based care to patients and have the potential to improve patient outcomes. However, the quality and applicability of published guidelines vary widely. It is essential that practicing colorectal surgeons have a thorough understanding of the guidelines process and the tools to critically evaluate existing documents. This paper describes what clinical guidelines are and the two major traditions of guideline development. A simple approach to the critical appraisal of guidelines is given with practical examples from the colorectal surgery literature. Copyright 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.