The guidelines manual 2009

The guidelines manual has been updated after public consultation. The manual explains how NICE develops clinical guidelines and provides advice on the technical aspects of guideline development. This document replaces ‘The guidelines manual (last updated April 2007)’ and ‘Guide to the short clinical guideline process 2007’.

The 2009 edition of ‘The guidelines manual’ describes the process and methods used for all clinical guidelines starting scoping after 5 January 2009. Guidelines already in development at this date will switch to the methods and processes described in the 2009 edition when the draft documents are being prepared for consultation. The draft and published full guidelines will specify which edition of ‘The guidelines manual’ was used for each stage of development.

• The guidelines manual 2009 - All chapters
• The guidelines manual 2009 - All appendices
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Contents and changes from 2007 manual
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 1: Introduction
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 2: The scope
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 3: The Guideline Development Group
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 4: Developing review questions
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 5: Identifying the evidence
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 6: Reviewing the evidence
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 7: Assessing cost effectiveness
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 8: Linking clinical guidelines to other NICE guidance
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 9: Developing and wording guideline recommendations
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 10: Writing the clinical guideline
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 11: The consultation process and dealing with stakeholder comments
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 12: Finalising and publishing the guideline
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 13: Implementation support for clinical guidelines
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Chapter 14: Updating clinical guidelines and correcting errors
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix A: Agreements and advice for Guideline Development Group members
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix B: Study design checklist
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix C: Methodology checklist: systematic reviews and meta-analyses
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix D: Methodology checklist: randomised controlled trials
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix E: Methodology checklist: cohort studies
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix F: Methodology checklist: case–control studies
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix G: Methodology checklist: the QUADAS tool for studies of diagnostic test accuracy
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix H: Methodology checklist: economic evaluations
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix I: Methodology checklist: qualitative studies
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix J: Methodology checklist: prognostic studies
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix K: Evidence tables
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix L: Modified GRADE profile
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix M: Abbreviations and glossary
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix N: Guide to the short clinical guideline process
• The guidelines manual 2009 - Appendix O: How NICE clinical guidelines are developed: an overview for stakeholders, the public and the NHS