Clinical Practice Guidelines

Guidelines are systematically developed by a group of experts to support doctors and patients in making decisions concerning appropriate care for specific health problems. They are intended to promote quality, transparency and the transfer of scientific knowledge into routine clinical practice.

The Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF), the German Cancer Society and the German Cancer Aid jointly launched the German Guideline Program in Oncology (GGPO) in 2008. The program aims to foster the development, implementation and evaluation of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in oncology for physicians and give guidance to patients.

The AWMF classification grid differentiates between S1 expert recommendations and S2e, S2k and S3 guidelines. While the German Guideline Program in Oncology is exclusively dedicated to the development of S3 guidelines, the German Cancer Society also supports the development of S2 and S1 guidelines.

Picture: Milan Zeremski - fotolia.com