After HHS funding to an important clinical guidelines database was cut, doctors feared access to the National Guideline Clearinghouse would be gone forever. Fortunately, another entity has stepped in to maintain the website and its practice guidelines used by more than 200,000 healthcare professionals per month.
ECRI Institute, an independent nonprofit organization that developed and maintained NGC since its inception 20 years ago, will continue the service to the healthcare community free of charge.
ECRI Institute plans to launch an interim website this fall, providing a centralized repository of current, properly vetted evidence-based clinical practice guideline summaries and other information, the organization stated.
The institute plans to add more features “in the near future,” it said.
The first phase on the initial site will enable users to search and retrieve the database of ECRI’s summarizations of clinical best practice guidelines. It will include unbiased evaluations of the guidelines against the National Academy of Medicine standards for trustworthiness.
“Not all guidelines are created equal. Clinicians want to know what stands behind a particular recommendation, and whether they can trust that recommendation,” Jane Jue, MD, MSc, medical director of the ECRI Institute, said in a statement. “Trustworthy guidance is the real value that we will be providing.”
The additional features in the second phase will include more advanced search capabilities, support for guideline implementation and decision-making and an enhanced user interface.
“For 20 years, the medical societies and professional associations that develop clinical practice guidelines have trusted ECRI Institute to maintain the integrity of their guidance and disseminate it to a larger audience,” Lisa Haskell, MSOT, project manager at the ECRI Institute, said in statement. “We are delighted to be able to continue those relationships.”
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."