TY - JOUR T1 - Atoms JF - Archives of Disease in Childhood JO - Arch Dis Child SP - 1031 LP - 1031 DO - 10.1136/adc.88.12.1031-a VL - 88 IS - 12 AU - Howard Bauchner Y1 - 2003/12/01 UR - http://adc.bmj.com/content/88/12/1031.2.abstract N2 - Guideline Review, a new section by Harry Baumer, debuts in this issue of ADC. Guidelines are part of the world of evidence based medicine. They come in many different forms, and are released by various groups, including professional societies and governmental agencies. Recently, recommendations have been developed for both assessing and reporting guidelines.1,2 The key attributes of good guidelines include a clear focus, systematic review of the literature, definitions of unfamiliar terms, grading of evidence, and when possible, inclusion of patient preferences. Guidelines should be dated. A recent report indicates that 50% of guidelines are invalid six years after publication.3 We recognise that guidelines themselves do not change practice; however, they often contain important information for practitioners, and can be used as a blueprint for the basis of quality improvement efforts. I hope you find the Guideline Review section helpful. In general, … ER -