Clinical practice guidelines are "statements that include recommendations intended to optimize patient care, informed by a systematic review of evidence and an assessment of the benefits and costs of alternative care options."
In 2011, the Institute of Medicine published Clinical Practice Guidelines We Can Trust, which "proposed standards for developing trustworthy clinical practice guidelines emphasizing transparency; management of conflict of interest; systematic review--guideline development intersection; establishing evidence foundations for and rating strength of guideline recommendations; articulation of recommendations; external review; and updating."
Identifying existing practice guidelines on a topic can be a challenge. And, a current practice guideline may not exist for your specific topic
To discover practice guidelines, consider using more general search terms (rather than a narrow search on your focused topic). Practice guidelines frequently cover broader topics, with guidance about specific aspects of the broader topic included within.
Listed below are recommended databases, along with database-specific search tips to help you identify practice guidelines.