Clinical practice guidelines: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Abstract

Clinical practices guidelines (CPGs) play a fundamental role in improving healthcare and patients' outcomes by helping clinicians make the best evidence-based decisions for their patients in a time-efficient manner. By following the available methods and criteria to create trustworthy CPGs, panel members can develop high-quality guidelines. However, despite the improvements over the years, CPGs are still subjected to biases and limitations, with conflicts of interest being the ugliest problem GCPs must face. In this review, we discuss the main characteristics of clinical practice guidelines, their pros and cons, and the future challenges they need to overcome.

Keywords: Benefits; Clinical practice; Dissemination; Evidence Based-Medicine; Future Challenges; Guidelines; Limitations.