A clinical guideline provides recommendations to support healthcare and other professionals in making decisions about care and support for people with specific conditions or healthcare needs. Clinical guidelines are also important for service managers.

Guidelines are based on the best available evidence and may cover, for example, prevention diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, rehabilitation, follow-up and self-management.

A clinical guideline applies in principle to all patients with a particular condition or healthcare need. However, there will be times when the recommendations are not appropriate for a particular patient.

Healthcare and other professionals are expected to take clinical guidelines fully into account when exercising their professional judgement. However, the guidance does not override the responsibility of healthcare professionals and others to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances, characteristics and preferences of each patient.  Clinicians should be mindful of the potential impact of co-morbidities, harmful polypharmacy and increased clinical risks in patients with frailty.

In accordance with Realistic Medicine principles, these decisions should be made in consultation with, and with the agreement of, the patient and/or their guardian or carer.

Healthcare professionals and others should record their reasons for not following clinical guideline recommendations.