Table 2. Key criteria for good clinical guideline programmes.

People involved in guideline development

credible organisation responsible for guideline development

target users involved in guideline development (‘ownership’)

balanced multidisciplinary guideline development group

patient involvement at any stage of the development process

Methodology of guideline development

systematic review of literature, including existing high-quality guidelines

combining evidence linkage and expert consensus in formulating recommendations

external peer review

formal update procedure

use of quality criteria for guidelines and guideline development

Dissemination and implementation strategy

production of different formats of the guideline, including patient versions, and tools for applications

use of the Internet

multiple implementation strategies

review criteria, indicators for assessing the use of guidelines