NICE to produce rapid COVID-19 guidelines

NICE has today (20 March 2020) announced that it is developing a series of rapid guidelines with NHS England/Improvement on the active management of patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19, and in patients without COVID-19, in a number of clinical areas.

The first 3 guidelines cover the management of patients in critical care, the management of patients who are having kidney dialysis and the management of patients who are receiving chemotherapy.

Further guidelines will be announced in due course but are likely to include: symptom management; patients receiving radiotherapy; and patients with rheumatoid arthritis. We will publish new guidelines each week until the full set has been completed.

NICE will make the guidelines accessible on its website so that health systems around the world can see the approach the UK is taking. NICE guidelines are already used, with permission, around the world and we will respond quickly to requests to do so with these new publications.

The guidelines are being produced in collaboration with NHS England/Improvement and a cross-specialty clinical group, supported by the specialist societies and Royal Colleges. Once published they will be available on the NICE website at https://www.nice.org.uk/covid-19