What is a medical guideline, and how is it created?

Throughout our Mayo Clinic Connect page, we often reference current medical guidelines, but have you ever wondered what a medical guideline is, what they are used for or how they are created?

Medical guidelines are developed through a very rigorous and precise process and are used by medical professionals to to determine the most current and best way to treat their patients. The process of creating a guideline, which includes dozens of experts in the specific field of work, can take anywhere between two to three years to complete.

This article published by the American Heart Associated News goes in depth about what exactly goes in to making a medical guideline and how these guidelines are used to improve the lives of patients.

The most current guidelines related to genetic heart rhythm diseases, some even authored my Dr. Michael Ackerman, the director of the Windland Smith Rice Genetic Heart Rhythm Clinic, are available on our Resources tab.