Improving access to guidance

Why are we improving access to our guidance?

NICE wants to ensure its guidance is effectively disseminated to the end user. We designed the electronic guidance access project to do this.

Advances in information technology mean that NICE recommendations may reach our audiences through other routes than those provided directly by NICE. For example, clinicians may access information from NICE guidance by clicking on a care pathway in a clinical decision support system.

For information to be disseminated effectively through such systems, it must be broken into xml “knowledge fragments”. At present, users view NICE guidance online as pdfs, and only complete documents can be accessed. This means users may have to trawl through pages of guidance to find what they are looking for.

Aims of improving access to our guidance

We will change the way NICE produces guidance. We are exploring how to produce guidance documents that can be:

• displayed on the NICE website, or other websites and intranets
• incorporated into information systems such as NHS Evidence
• integrated into clinical decision support systems

Work to date

2007

In 2007 we completed a pilot on applying the knowledge fragments approach to technology appraisal guidance and public heath intervention guidance.

2008

In 2008 we converted all NICE technology appraisals and public health guidance to xml knowledge fragments.

2009

We will have HTML versions of our technology appraisals on the NICE website by the end of the year. You will be able to go straight to the recommendations from the rather than read the whole document and browse through the chapters usuing a guidance viewer. TA 157 Venous thromboembolism – dabigatran is currently available in the new style.