HS: Introduction to Clinical Guidelines 5/20/2025

Health Systems

5/20/2025

TOPIC 1: Introduction to the United States Preventative Services Task Force Recommendations, CDC Vaccine Schedule, and Clinical Guidelines

FACULTY: Heather McEwen, MLIS, MS

Lecture Video on Clinical Guidelines (7 minutes): - Dr. Terry Shaneyfelt

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

After watching the Overview of Clinical Guidelines video and completing the assignment, students will be able to:

• Explain the purpose of guidelines and the criteria that determine high-quality guidelines.
• Discuss the limitations of guidelines.
• Explain where clinical guidelines are found on the EBM pyramid.
• Distinguish between evidence-based or consensus-based clinical guidelines.
• Explain where clinical guidelines are found on the EBM pyramid. 
• Distinguish between evidence-based or consensus-based clinical guidelines
• Discuss the CDC vaccine schedules for adults and children.
• Practice using the USPSTF recommendations and CDC vaccine schedules to choose appropriate preventative care and screening tests for patients in clinical cases discussed in class.
• Search for a relevant clinical guidelines and evaluate it using a validity checklist.

Resources:

• United States Preventative Services Task Force website

• Search and Filter All Recommendation Topics

• Grade Definitions

• Prevention TaskForce (formerly ePSS) Application App

• CDC Immunization Schedule 

• CDC Vaccine Schedules App for Health Care Providers

• Clinical Guidelines Checklist
  • Duke University Medical Center Library and Archives

What do you need to do: 

• Watch the video
• Read the slides (not narrated)
• Download the relevant version of the assignment (dependent on last name)
• Upload completed assignment and guideline checklist to CANVAS.

• AccessMedicine
  • See the CURRENT Practice Guidelines in Primary Care 2020 and the CURRENT Practice Guidelines in Inpatient Medicine 2025–2026

• ClinicalKey

  • Can click on guidelines to just search for guidelines.

• ECRI Guidelines Trust 

• GuidelineCentral

• MEDLINE - PubMed
  • Set a filter for article type (guideline and practice guideline). PubMed will provide citation for the guideline.
• Trip Medical Database (free version)
  • Do a keyword search. Filter for guidelines.

• UpToDate

• Where else to go for Clinical Guidelines (Now that Guideline.gov won’t be maintained) - Jennifer Hinkel
  • Blog has a list of links to organization-written clinical guidelines.

Clinical Practice Guidelines:

If citing the full guideline, then cite the guideline as it appeared in the journal.

Format:  Author(s). Article title. Journal Title. Publication Date; volume(issue):page numbers.

American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology. ACOG practice bulletin no. 120: Use of prophylactic antibiotics in labor and delivery. Obstet Gynecol. 2011 Jun;117(6):1472-83.

Human Development

• Normal age-related findings and care of the well patient
  • Infancy and childhood (0–12 years)
    • Lifestyle and routine preventive health care:
      • preventive/travel medicine
      • routine vaccinations
  • Adolescence (13–17 years)
    • Lifestyle and routine preventive health care:
      • preventive/travel medicine
      • routine vaccinations
  • Adulthood (18–64 years)
    • Lifestyle and routine preventive health care:
      • preventive/travel medicine
      • routine vaccinations
  • Older Adulthood (65 years and older)
    • Lifestyle and routine preventive health care:
      • preventive/travel medicine
      • routine vaccinations

Systems-based practice (including health systems, public health, community, schools) and patient safety (including basic concepts and terminology)

• Quality improvement
  • Improvement science principles
    • Variation and standardization: guidelines

AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency

• EPA 7: Form Clinical Questions and Retrieve Evidence to Advance Patient Care