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Recent Newspaper & Online Columns by Kate Scannell MD

At the heart of Clinical Practice Guidelines -- at what price?

By Dr. Kate Scannell, Syndicated Columnist
First Published in Print: 04/02/2011

BY NOW, most of us know what a "GPS" is -- at least those of us who tend to get lost and require a "global positioning system" to navigate us toward our desired destination. But how many of us are familiar with the "CPGs" our doctors use to navigate our medical care?

A CPG is a "Clinical Practice Guideline," and it functions like a GPS for doctors and patients. For example, when a medical decision must be made for a diabetic patient, the doctor might consult a "CPG for diabetes" to select a course of management among several options. Depending on that course, the CPG could navigate doctors toward ordering certain tests or prescribing particular medications.

CPGs are created by a hodgepodge of private and public organizations that share some interest in the focus of the CPG. So, for example, the American Diabetes Association creates CPGs regarding diabetes management. The Academy of Ambulatory Foot and Ankle Surgery issues guidelines concerning ingrown toenails. More than 1,000 CPGs exist, spanning a vast array of medical disorders including heart disease, arthritis, thyroid problems, high blood pressure and various cancers.

Ideally, organizations volunteering to create guidelines do us a favor, because it is impossible for most doctors to keep up with the thousands of new research findings published each year in medical journals. We doctors tend to welcome CPGs that are written by groups of professionals who have expertly reviewed, analyzed, distilled, synthesized and translated complex research findings into useful clinical practice recommendations.

It's important to understand about CPGs because doctors frequently rely upon them to determine what happens to you when you're sick.  Read More